London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2025

Amazon takes on the UK's biggest supermarkets with free food delivery

Amazon takes on the UK's biggest supermarkets with free food delivery

Amazon has started offering free grocery deliveries to Prime members in London and the surrounding area as it seeks to cash in on Britain's coronavirus-induced online shopping boom and take on stores such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Ocado.
Amazon Fresh, the company's grocery delivery service, will offer same-day delivery in most areas on orders over £40 ($51.51) placed before 9 p.m. The minimum order value has also been lowered to £15 ($19.32).

Prime members in Greater London and parts of the southeast of England can get free delivery in two-hour windows on all orders over £40 ($51.51), or pay £3.99 ($5) for delivery in a one-hour slot.

The launch follows a move in October to eliminate fees on grocery deliveries for Prime members in the United States. Membership costs £79 ($101.7) a year or £7.99 ($102.9) a month in Britain. Amazon plans to expand the grocery delivery service across the United Kingdom by the end of 2020.

Online grocery sales have soared in the United Kingdom since coronavirus lockdowns were introduced in March, as people stayed home and sought to avoid crowds. And shoppers that have made the leap do not appear to be reverting to their old ways.
Average weekly online spending on groceries reached £390 million ($502.3 million) in June, more than double the amount recorded in January, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Supermarket chains such as Tesco (TSCDF) and Sainsbury's (JSAIY) have added hundreds of thousands of weekly delivery slots to cope with the surge in demand and are enhancing their online offerings, suggesting that Amazon Fresh will face fierce competition.

Sainsbury's is trialing a virtual queuing app and has expanded its one-hour grocery delivery service Chop Chop to 15 cities. The company said online sales grew by 87% year-on-year for the four months to June.

Tesco reported an almost 50% jump in UK online sales for the 13 weeks to May 30 compared with the same period last year. It invested £4 million ($5 million) into its online channel during the quarter.

UK online retailer Ocado (OCDDY), which at the height of panic buying placed shoppers in virtual queues with wait times of more than two hours in some cases, reported a 27% increase in sales in the first half of its fiscal year due to "unprecedented demand."

Amazon said Prime customers can buy "seafood, produce, snacks and household essentials — everything needed for a weekly shop" from brands such as Pepsi, Danone and Warburtons, which makes bread and bagels.

Products from upmarket grocers Booths and Whole Foods Market will also be available, as will premium goods from GAIL's Artisan Bakery, butcher C.Lidgate and cheesemakers Paxton & Whitfield. Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.7 billion.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×