Amazon has expanded its grocery delivery service further outside its London test bed to cover 260 postcodes.
Amazon Fresh will now deliver to selected postcodes in Surrey and Hampshire, reaching towns such as Woking, Guildford and Basingstoke.
The expansion means Amazon has more than tripled the geographical coverage of the UK service since its launch in 69 central London postcodes in June. It has gradually broadened its range over the past few months, most recently expanding to 190 Greater London and Surrey postcodes in September.
Amazon has not revealed take-up numbers but says it has received “positive feedback” from customers.
The grocery delivery service, which is only available to Prime members, offers unlimited deliveries on orders over £40 for a cost of £6.99 a month on top of an annual £79 Prime subscription.
One of its key selling points is speed, with same-day delivery available on thousands of items and one-hour slots ranging from 7am to 11pm. It also boasts an extensive range of 130,000 products including items from external sellers such as C Lidgate Butchers, the majority of which are based in the capital.
The service initially operated in postcodes around its distribution centre in Bromley-by-Bow. But same-day delivery will prove more of a challenge with this latest expansion, with Basingstoke situated more than 70 miles from its London warehouse.
“We are excited to offer Amazon Fresh to more Prime members than ever before,” said Ajay Kavan, vice president of Amazon Fresh. “We’ve received positive feedback since the service launched, and we will be working hard to make the service even better for our customers.”
Amazon has spent the past two years gradually increasing its presence in the UK grocery sector. In 2015, it launched its Prime Now service, which offers one-hour delivery on a range of items including fresh, chilled and frozen items. And last year, it launched Amazon Dash buttons and the Amazon Dash wand to UK customers with the aim of making it easier to order groceries.
This week, The Times reported that Amazon was also looking for UK sites to accommodate its checkout-free convenience store model, which is currently being tested in Seattle.
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