// Waitrose expands into new areas with its first dedicated overseas ecommerce offer in the UAE
// Orders will be picked and packed in two of Waitrose’s 12 shops across Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Waitrose customers in the United Arab Emirates will now be able to shop with the grocer online after the launch of its first dedicated website overseas.
The new website will home more than 15,000 grocery products with over 2800 delivery slots available each week, reaching more than 1500 homes across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Waitrose said its UAE website would also offer same-day delivery, with the cut-off for amendments being two hours prior to delivery.
READ MORE:
- Which? names Waitrose supermarket of the year
- Waitrose steals market share from Ocado despite M&S deal
- Waitrose the first supermarket to sell unwrapped Christmas gift wrapping
Waitrose said that it added 12 delivery vans, and created an additional 14 driver jobs through its partner Fine Fare Food Market, which runs the retailer’s daily operation in the UAE supported by Waitrose in the UK.
Orders will be picked and packed in two of Waitrose’s 12 shops across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
It comes after Waitrose opened its sixth shop in Dubai last month, with plans to open two more in the city by the end of this year.
“Our ecommerce service has grown significantly in the UK and we’re very excited to work with our partners in Fine Fare Foods Limited to extend this to our customers in the UAE,” Waitrose commercial sales business manager Sarah Burton said.
“It brings an even more convenient way for our customers in the UAE to shop Waitrose products, and we’re proud to bring the same quality and inspiration customers find in our shops, to our website.”
Fine Fare Foods chief executive Sunil Kumar said: “Our new website adds online capability, meaning we can reach even more customers in the UAE, while also supporting the local community during these uncertain times with an easy way to shop.
“As the pace of online shopping continues to accelerate, listening to our customers’ demands and reflecting the service, quality and choice of our supermarkets has never been more crucial.
“We are committed to delivering the best quality food and drink sourced in the most responsible way right to our customers’ doorsteps.”
Waitrose has been significantly investing in ecommerce capabilities after ending its long-term partnership with Ocado last month.
Having expanded rapidly in recent months, Waitrose said its online grocery business was on track to become a £1 billion business in its own right by the end of the year.
It added that it now delivers to nearly 90 per cent of postcodes across the UK.
Waitrose also recently announced a new delivery relationship with Deliveroo, in a trial that would give over half a million households in the UK the opportunity to have Waitrose food delivered direct to them in as little as 30 minutes.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette’s free daily email newsletter
