Uber Eats is plunging into ‘quick commerce’ or flash delivery in the UK. Iceland customers can receive their groceries within 20 minutes.
Combining infrastructure
Uber Eats is testing Uber Eats Market, a new service for ultra-fast grocery delivery. In the UK, the meal delivery company is partnering with supermarket chain Iceland for this purpose. Customers can receive their groceries as early as within 20 minutes, reports The Retail Bulletin.
The new service combines Uber Eats’ technology and logistics expertise with the infrastructure in Iceland’s stores. For instance, the frozen food specialist already has dedicated staff to collect and pack orders available in its stores. Uber Eats Market will offer more than 1,000 items from Iceland, but initially only in densely populated areas such as several London boroughs.
New competitive landscape
Uber Eats says it wants to become the preferred partner for retailers in the UK. “We know we have the best technology, and we are excited to partner with Iceland on this new concept, Uber Eats Market,” said Alex Troughton, head of commerce at Uber Eats UK.
In the UK, quite a few supermarket chains already use meal platforms as flash deliverers. Competition is raging fiercely there, and is increasingly crossing the Channel. Carrefour, for example, is the first supermarket to appear on Just Eat Takeaway’s delivery platform in Belgium.
