Amazon Fresh: Prime customers get free grocery deliveries

E-commerce giant Amazon is rolling out a free delivery service to customers in the UK as it attempts to grab a share of the grocery market.

From today, Amazon Fresh is offering Prime customers in London and the Home Counties next- or same-day deliveries, with plans to extend this into other parts of the UK in the future.

Orders of more than £40 will qualify for the delivery service and is likely to be another threat for foodservice wholesalers who have benefited from turning to home delivery during the Covid-19 crisis.

A number of wholesalers are planning to continue with offering straight-to-consumer services after the worst of the pandemic has passed and Amazon has clearly seen this as the perfect time to put more focus on the market.

Amazon Fresh has been live for a number of years previously, but this is the first time they have made such a big push for new customers in the market.

Their scale could make them a force to be reckoned with, as in other categories, and are already offering some areas of Surrey the chance to place an order as late 9pm and receive their delivery before midnight – something many others, particularly wholesalers, would struggle to contend with.

“Prime members love the convenience of grocery delivery at home, which is why we’ve made Amazon Fresh a free benefit of Prime,” said Amazon Fresh UK Country Manager Russell Jones.

“Grocery delivery is one of the fastest growing businesses at Amazon and we think this will be one of the most-loved Prime benefits in the UK.

“We will keep improving the grocery shopping experience so by the end of the year, millions of Prime members across the UK will have access to fast, free delivery of groceries.”

Amazon consumer coronavirus covid-19 foodservice wholesalers home delivery