Tesco launches same day Click and Collect for groceries as it enters ‘time war’ against Amazon
Britain's biggest supermarket launches faster service to counter threat from online retail giant
TESCO has launched a new same day Click and Collect service on grocery orders at more than 250 stores across the country.
Customers will be able to place an order on their phone or office computer before 1pm and pick up their shopping after 4pm.
Britain's biggest supermarket has been forced to enter a "time war" after Amazon began selling groceries with same day delivery.
Sainsbury's has also recently begun a same day Click and Collect trial in a small number of stores and plans to expand it to 30 by the end of the year.
Experts said supermarkets are no longer competing only on price but on faster service and greater convenience in a bid to attract time-poor Brits.
Tesco's new service will cost £2 to book a two-hour slot between Monday and Thursday and £3 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Shoppers can choose to collect their orders between 4pm and 6pm or 6pm to 8pm on all six days, with no service on Sundays.
It will be available in 261 larger Tesco stores - around 90 per cent of locations that already offer the Click and Collect option.
Tesco is said to be planning a marketing push to launch the service aimed at Brits on holiday who want to pick up cupboard essentials on their way home from the airport.
A Tesco spokesman said: “We know time is valuable to our customers and they expect more convenience and choice than ever before in how, when and where they do their grocery shopping.
"Our same-day grocery click and collect service is available at nearly 300 stores across the UK and means our customers can get their shopping at a time and location that is convenient for them.”
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In June, Amazon launched its fresh food service, AmazonFresh, offering Amazon Prime members in London same-day delivery on 130,000 grocery items.
Retail analysts Mintel predict that online grocery sales will soar by 73 per cent by 2020, rising from £8.6billion a year to £15billion.
The demand for home food deliveries is so great that more retailers are being dragged into the market.
A company called Togle has launched a service to deliver Marks & Spencer food to some London postcodes within 40 minutes.
It will charge a mark-up of 15 per cent on the original M&S prices plus a delivery fee of £4.50.
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