The Co-operative Group is the latest UK supermarket chain to announce that it is to launch an online grocery offering, with a set of four trials to begin before the end of this year.
According to Steve Murrells, head of retail at the company, the Co-op is currently considering various options for the move, including click & collect and home delivery, as well as an 'exciting' version tailored for the convenience market.
Murrells added that with only two channels in grocery in growth - convenience and online - the Co-op had "woken up to the fact that one size does not fit all".
"You need to be multichannel and multi-format if you want to be in tune with the challenging lives people have", he said.
Murells acknowledged that the retailer had 'taken its time' to go online, but said that this had given the supermarket a chance to learn from its rivals. The move is also expected to increase the retailer's appeal to the younger demographic, the 18-25 year-old shopper with which the Co-op has so far failed to engage.
The Co-operative already offers a home delivery service, which is used by 25,000 customers per week and requires a minimum order of £25 per delivery. They also have an on-going tie-up with Amazon, which has installed collection lockers in some of the chain's stores.
The Co-op's small average basket size - £6 - has long been seen as a barrier to entry to the online grocery realm but, as Murrells notes, "We have a 6.6% market share so there is dramatic room for us to grow."
© 2013 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine by Ellen Lunney
