Sainsbury’s is expanding home delivery capacities in response to the unprecedented demand from British consumers to shop for groceries online, as the country continues in lockdown mode due to the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme initially involves a trial to deliver groceries from closed convenience stores via Chop Chop, the retailer’s fast delivery service.
Turning its convenience store in Blackfriars, Central London, into a dark store, Sainsbury’s is leveraging its physical store network to drive ultra-rapid fulfilment of 400 essential items. Carrefour recently announced a similar move, partnering with Uber Eats to provide 30 minute delivery from convenience stores across France.
These moves are early indications of how the coronavirus outbreak will change the face of grocery retail for good. Agile omnichannel players using their store networks and partnering with delivery intermediaries are now raising shopper expectations, establishing a new European benchmark of delivery within one hour or less. CPG brands not already doing so should build teams now to plan now for listings, strong visibility and flexible logistics that will allow them to partner with this next generation of standard-defining retailers.
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