Actionable insights straight to your inbox

logo_equities.svg

Amazon Expands Online Grocery Operation in UK, Offering Free Two-Hour Delivery in London

Amazon Prime members in London can now get free grocery deliveries, a service that is planned to expand to multiple cities by year-end.

Image: liushuquan / Pixabay

Amazon has begun offering fast, free deliveries of online groceries to Prime members living in London in a move that had been reported by trade press earlier this year.

The company will expand its service to millions of Prime and Amazon Fresh members across multiple cities in the UK by year-end, with Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh to be among the first places to benefit, according to The Guardian.

The company will offer free delivery within two hours on grocery purchases orders above £40 ($52). Customers wishing even faster delivery can pay £3.99 for the one-hour privilege. Smaller orders under £40 will carry a £3.99 charge for two-hour delivery and £6.99 for one hour, and the minimum order bar has been lowered from £40 to £15.

Amazon Fresh purchases had previously required a monthly add-on fee of £3.99 or a £2.99 delivery fee, in addition to the annual Prime subscription fee of £79.

The Fresh service will now encompass same-day deliveries up to midnight provided shoppers order by 9pm.

In expanding its service, Amazon is eager to capture a larger share of the burgeoning online UK grocery market, which The Guardian says will grow 76.2% to £19.5 billion this year, spurred by the COVID-19 lockdowns.

The company’s move to broaden its UK footprint comes as it faces increasing challenges in its home market from Walmart, Target and other traditional grocery stores.

_____

Source: Equities News

To say the current situation isn’t pretty now seems an understatement, and it’s likely to remain chaotic for a while. Which is why it’s so important for leaders of all kinds not to fall prey to the very human tendency to go negative, playing the blame game.
Bargain-hunting friends of mine have been asking: “Should I buy First Republic?” After all, First Republic is prestigious. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg got a mortgage there. Dozens of customer surveys rate its satisfaction scores higher than super-brands like Apple and Ritz-Carlton.
Many of us economy-watchers have been expecting recession, though with significant differences on odds and timing. Regardless, recent banking developments just made recession more likely and may have accelerated its onset.