Amazon to deliver groceries for other supermarkets

Starting next year, Amazon plans to deliver groceries for other supermarket chains, both in continental Europe and the United States. In doing so, the retailer is entering the field of bicycle couriers and flash delivery services.

More choice and convenience

British consumers with a Prime subscription have been able to have the groceries they order online from supermarket chains Morrisons and Co-op delivered the same day by couriers from Amazon Flex – an Uber-inspired crowd-shipping platform – for some time. The e-commerce giant is now planning to expand this delivery service, known internally as Amazon Fresh Marketplace, to other European countries and the US next year, according to online news platform The Information.

Amazon does not want to disclose more details about its plans, but the company did provide a general response to Engadget: “Our focus is on providing Amazon customers the best possible experience when it comes to grocery delivery whether that is from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, or one of our local stores like Bartell’s in Seattle, Morrison’s in London, or Monoprix in Paris”, a spokesperson said. “Partnerships with other grocers enable more customers to shop online and allow us to provide Amazon Prime members with more choice, value and convenience while our partners benefit from increased visibility for their selection and service.”

With the new grocery platform, Amazon would compete head-on with quick commerce delivery companies such as Gorillas and Flink, or with US personal shopper service Instacart.