British upmarket supermarket group Waitrose has teamed up with rapid delivery firm Uber Eats to provide its groceries to shoppers' homes in as little as 20 minutes, the companies said on Tuesday.
Waitrose, part of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, said the "multi-year" partnership launched on the Uber Eats platform in five London stores and will roll out to over 200 stores by the end of August.
Online's share of the total grocery market in Britain was about 7% before COVID-19.
It peaked at about 15% during the pandemic but has since come off to 10.4%, according to market researcher NIQ.
Deliveroo Partnership
Waitrose said the deal with Uber Eats builds on its existing partnership with Deliveroo and its own online shopping business.
Uber Eats already partners with UK supermarkets Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, the Co-op and Iceland.
Price Cuts
In February the Upmarket British supermarket group said that it will spend £100 million to cut prices on over 300 own-brand products as it fights to retain customers amid record industry inflation.
After a tough 2022, British consumers are facing an even tighter squeeze on their finances this year.
Inflation is running at over 10%, mortgage rates are rising and the government is cutting back support on household energy bills.
Waitrose, part of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, said on Wednesday it was cutting the prices of products ranging from British carrots and frozen peas to Fairtrade tea and British sausages.
