SAINSBURY’S: Pedal power
It’s been a while since shoppers have seen the butcher’s boy cycling up the street to deliver their lamb, bacon and sausages. But as supermarkets fight to win back shoppers from internet delivery firms such as Amazon, the idea is being revived – with a hi-tech twist.
sainsbury’s is testing a fleet of electric, battery powered bikes, which are capable of delivering your entire weekly shop. the five bikes will deliver up to 100 online orders a day within a three-mile radius of the chain’s streatham store in south London.
the purpose-built e-bikes can hold 280 litres of groceries in a compartment on the front and another 130 litres at the back. this means they can transport several customers’ orders at once. they are also environmentally friendly and can use cycle lanes, so won’t struggle in traffic like traditional delivery vans – and it can be easier to park them close to customers’ homes too.
With their vivid orange and green containers, the e-bikes are certainly a step up from the original sainsbury’s delivery bikes, brought in at the start of the 20th century.