Lidl expands trial with home deliveries per bicycle

A trial project in which Belgians can get their Lidl groceries delivered at home by a bike courier, is a great success – the chain says. The project is expanded with more available products and (later) to more cities, but there is a price to pay.

Double the products

It is not a fad, but here to stay: home deliveries by bicycle are tested and approved in Belgian cities – see the experiments by Delhaize and Coolblue in Brussels. Lidl joined in as well, with a trial in Ghent starting last October, and now expands the test as it turned out to be quite successful – mainly with young families who order on Sundays to get the items delivered on Monday. Currently, the most popular groceries to be home delivered by Lidl are fruit and vegetables.

The number of products that are available for home delivery in Ghent rises from 400 to 750, but the service becomes more expensive as well. The price used to be 2.99 euros for a small delivery (25 euros or less) and free for a big one – now both cost 3.99 euros. That is a lot lower than what Colruyt asks for home deliveries with eco-friendly cars in Brussels (15 euros for preparation and delivery), but it remains to be seen if an extra cost of three euros is one that customers of the discounter want to pay. One thing is certain: eco-friendly home delivery is not just a marketing stunt, but it is here to stay as an extra service that retailers can charge substantial fees for…