AmazonFresh Likely To Open In UK

Amazon’s grocery delivery service is likely to launch soon in the United Kingdom, a step beyond the United States, according to Re/code.

The site reported on Friday (July 17) that the launch is as yet untimed. And Amazon declined to comment on the possibility of a U.K. debut, but Re/code noted that in the U.K, consumers are more used to having groceries delivered through online ordering and door-to-door delivery. By way of example, as much as 5 percent of groceries are shipped and delivered in the United Kingdom, a stark contrast to the 1 percent that has similar activity in the U.S.

Amazon has thus far had its delivery service operating in a number of U.S. cities, among them New York, Philadelphia, California, and the service is either next-day or same-day delivery.

Separately, IGD Retail Analysis reported Friday that Amazon’s launch could come in the U.K. as soon as September, with a total market size of as much as £9 billion, or 5 percent of the nation’s overall grocery market. And, the site noted, that fall 2015 launch would put the online market in hot contention just in time for the Christmas shopping season.

The site said that Amazon Logistics and a number of third-party vendors would likely be working in tandem to deliver AmazonFresh orders, with a “departure” from the practice in the U.K. of retailers using their own vans for delivery. And that change in standard operating procedure would be a direct lift from the way the company does business in the United States, with packaging in place that would help keep certain foodstuffs cool. Further, IGD Retail Analysis stated that in order for consumers to take advantage of the Amazon services in the U.K., they will need to be members of the Amazon Prime delivery service.

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