Waitrose has announced a permanent extension of its rapid grocery delivery hours at 35 stores across the UK. Most participating branches will now fulfil orders until midnight, while selected high-demand locations will offer deliveries 24 hours a day.
Customers can order fresh ingredients, ready meals, snacks, and household essentials through Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat. Orders can arrive in as little as 20 minutes, although availability and delivery times depend on the customer's location and chosen platform.
What the change means for shoppers
The change applies only to rapid deliveries made through the three partner apps and does not mean the physical supermarkets will remain open later. Alcohol will also not be available for delivery beyond each shop's normal licensed trading hours.
The permanent extension follows a temporary trial introduced during the FIFA World Cup. Waitrose increased delivery hours at more than 50 stores across England and Scotland for four weeks from June 23. Most participating locations delivered until midnight, while some offered a round-the-clock service to accommodate matches kicking off late at night or early in the morning because of the time difference with North America.
Successful trial leads to permanent change
Waitrose said orders jumped by 17 per cent during England's match against Croatia and ahead of Scotland's game against Morocco. The supermarket initially said the expanded service could be introduced at more locations if it proved popular.
Customers continued placing orders during the additional hours even after the football matches had finished, leading to the decision to retain the longer delivery windows at 35 locations. Shoppers can check whether their nearest participating branch is available by searching for Waitrose within the Deliveroo, Uber Eats, or Just Eat apps.
The rapid service offers thousands of Waitrose and branded products, including fruit, vegetables, meat, milk, ready meals, toiletries, and cleaning essentials.
Laura Burbedge, director of online at Waitrose, said: “The World Cup proved that our food-loving customers value the flexibility of shopping at Waitrose whenever they need us. By extending our delivery windows, we’re making it even more convenient to access the delicious, high-quality food our customers love.”
The supermarket operates around 320 shops and has continued expanding its presence on third-party delivery platforms as demand for rapid grocery services grows. Customers visiting the participating stores in person will still need to shop within their usual published opening hours.
