Coop

The war for the online pound has a new combatant after the Co-op unveiled a new site offering zero-emission deliveries.

The convenience chain this week launched its new pedal-powered delivery service in London, representing the first time it has offered online deliveries via a dedicated website. Orders will initially be fulfilled using zero-emission electric cargo bikes, which are human powered but feature an electric motor for assistance.

TheCo-oponline delivery service enables shoppers to order products atshop.coop.co.uk, and receive delivery within two hours at an allocated time. The service will initially be available to shoppers within a four kilometre radius of a store on the King's Road in Chelsea, before being rolled out to a further eight London stores.

The supermarket said that ultimately it has plans to make online shopping available in a significant number of UK towns and cities.

Shoppers will initially receive their orders within two hours during the trial, and there is a standard £5 delivery charge and £15 minimum spend. All prices are the same as they are in stores, and a free click and collect service is also available.

Through theCo-opLocal Community Fund, members shopping online receive a five per cent reward for themselves, with a further one per cent going to local causes when they buy own-brand products.

TheCo-op said it is exploring a number of different home delivery schemes, and has recently announced a free service by taxi for groceries at eight stores in towns and cities around the UK.

It is also trialing the use of robots in Milton Keynes, where autonomous robots developed by Starship Technologies are being used to make small deliveries from a local store.