Amazon are according to the Grocer about to launch Amazon Fresh in the UK with deliveries starting as early as the 18th of May.
Amazon already have Amazon Pantry and have already signed a frozen foods deal through their tie up with Morrisons. We heard that Amazon trialled the service in Birmingham and Amazon have also apparently been trialling the service from their East London delivery depot and are now set to roll it out.
This is a big step for Amazon, it’s all well and good delivering mainly bulky household staples through the Amazon Pantry service, but that still leaves households going to their normal supermarket for fresh produce. The launch of Amazon Fresh puts them in full competition with supermarkets and home delivery and that’s a whole new ball game for Amazon.
No one expects them to be serious competition to the big four immediately, but Morrisons have already effectively given up owning the home delivery market by partnering with Amazon. Tesco will doubtlessly compete with Tesco direct selling electrical goods alongside their food range, but Sainsbury’s might end up being the most interesting competition once their deal with Argos shakes out.
It’s no coincidence that the new country manager for Amazon UK is Doug Gurr, who formerly served as Asda’s Executive development Director, food is going to be the new frontier for Amazon. They’ve come a long way since their tag line was “The world’s biggest book store”.
