Amazon expands ultra-fast deliveries in UK and adds same-day fruit and veg

Amazon is expanding fast-track deliveries in the UK, including adding fresh fruit and vegetables to same-day services, after closing its standalone grocery stores.

The firm said it would expand Amazon Now, its ultra-fast delivery service that already delivers goods in less than 30 minutes to parts of London, to also serve Manchester and Birmingham this year.

It will also extend same-day delivery services to Ipswich and Coventry and enable shoppers in London to add fresh groceries to same-day deliveries – a service that has been trialled in the US.

Shoppers will be able to add fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, bread, eggs and frozen foods to the same basket as other groceries in tins and packets as well as multiple other products from fashion to DIY kit.

The service will be available in parts of central and east London initially, with plans to expand to additional postcodes and more areas across the country in the coming months.

John Boumphrey, the UK country manager for Amazon, said: “We’re focused on making grocery shopping easier and faster for customers, with low prices on millions of items.”

The same-day grocery service will be an additional free option for those signed up to the Amazon Prime subscription service, who get free same-day delivery on orders worth more than £20. Those without a Prime membership pay a £5.99 delivery fee regardless of basket size.

Amazon, which last year booked sales of £30bn in the UK for the first time, has said it will invest £40bn in the UK over three years from 2025.

It is overhauling its approach to the grocery market in the UK, with a stronger focus on its Whole Foods business, after closing its Amazon Fresh hi-tech “just walk out” stores last year.

Despite its scale, Amazon has found it tough to compete with major players such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and the online grocery specialist Ocado’s joint venture with Marks & Spencer.

Amazon announced last autumn that it planned to double the number of Prime subscription members in the UK with access to at least three of its grocery options, through partnerships with Morrisons, Iceland, Co-op and Gopuff, and would be selling more fresh groceries via its site.

It is increasing use of robotics in its warehouses, including machines that can be guided using AI-empowered voice controls, to help enable the fast-track deliveries.

Amazon’s Darlington fulfilment centre has begun trialling drone flights, as the town becomes the first location in the UK to trial its Prime Air delivery service.