Coronavirus: Sainsbury’s pilots deliveries from ‘dark’ c-stores

The grocer’s speedy fulfilment option, which delivers orders to customers’ home via bicycles, had been temporarily suspended while it focused on keeping stores stocked.

But Sainsbury’s has reintroduced the delivery option from its Blackfriars convenience store as part of a trial.

The supermarket giant said the move would help it to expand delivery capacity and provide shoppers with “another way to access essential grocery and household items”.

Customers who live within 3km of the Blackfriars store will be able to order up to 20 grocery products through the Chop Chop app and have them delivered to their homes in as little as one hour.

Sainsbury’s said that if the service proves popular during the coronavirus lockdown it will roll it out to other closed c-stores across London and other major UK cities.

The grocer has temporarily closed a number of convenience stores that have seen “significantly” reduced footfall as more and more people work from home.

Sainsbury’s expects to serve up to 3,500 customers per week from the Blackfriars store and is in the process of recruiting more riders to deliver the orders by bike.

Sainsbury’s chief digital officer Clodagh Moriarty said: “Demand for home delivery has reached unprecedented levels and we are doing all we can to find new ways to serve more of our customers.

“We are pleased to use our Chop Chop service as an extension of our groceries online offer to enable our customers to quickly get food and other essential items delivered to their homes.

“While we are starting the trial in London, we hope to be able to bring this fast delivery service to other cities in the UK very soon.”