HelloFresh is trialling deliveries made by its own fleet, in what it claims is a first for the meal kit category locally.
A six-month trial is underway, operated out of the company’s ‘Beehive’ distribution centre in Nuneaton and will initially cover Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Customers in these areas will be able to book a premium 30-min delivery slot, with a simplified process for second delivery if the first delivery attempt is unsuccessful. Orders will arrive in HelloFresh-owned and branded refrigerated vehicles.
Meal kits from HelloFresh and its rivals are typically delivered by third-party courier firms. The move “marks a significant investment in service improvement” the company said and “will increase flexibility and reliability for customers”.
Furthermore, the new infrastructure allows HelloFresh to respond quicker to fluctuations in demand, it said.
The use of refrigerated vehicles mean HelloFresh can save on the insulation and ice packs required when packaging the kits. The move will also save CO2 emissions, HelloFresh said, “by cutting out middlemen and reducing van miles”.
The company already delivers directly to customers in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Australia.
“Our mission is to change the way people eat forever – empowering our customers to make choices that are right for them. Building our own last-mile solution is an important step to further deliver this promise,” said Sarah Norman, COO of HelloFresh UK.
“This will allow us unprecedented contact with our customers and put further control in their hands, deciding when they want their deliveries to be made. I look forward to learning from this trial to further optimise the service we provide to our customers,” Norman added.
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