Supermarket giant Tesco has linked up with Uber to help expand its rapid grocery delivery service. Uber Eats couriers will now be responsible for making deliveries of Tesco products ordered via the supermarket’s Whoosh service, it has been confirmed.
Supermarkets are keen to cash in on the demand for rapid delivery that grew during the pandemic, with many signing up to food distribution platforms, including Uber Eats and Deliveroo. However, Tesco has decided to develop its own platform because margins charged for rapid delivery are sometimes seen as excessively high.
Tesco launched its Whoosh service, which aims to deliver food and drinks in less than an hour, in May 2021 and now covers 200 Express Stores across the UK. Fees for deliveries are higher than those made via its traditional online grocery service.
The partnership with Uber launches from 20 stores across the UK, including Edinburgh, Bradford, Portsmouth, Norwich, St Albans and Letchworth, with the service offered from 600 stores by the end of the year.
Alex Troughton, head of new verticals and grocery at Uber Eats UK, said: “It’s clear that the needs of businesses and consumers have been rapidly evolving in recent years and that trend is accelerating. This exciting new partnership will harness the best of Uber’s technology to power superfast Tesco deliveries across the UK.
“The partnership is proof positive of the momentum we’re seeing in our groceries and retailer delivery offer, and we’re committed to providing world-class solutions to our partners.”
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
