LONDON: Online e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. is preparing to launch an ultra-fast grocery delivery service in the United Kingdom, trade magazine The Grocer reported on Friday, citing suppliers.
The service, Ultra Fast Fresh, involves retrofitting nine existing depots within the country to handle fresh produce and fulfill grocery orders within hours, the magazine reported.
The project could involve making Amazon Fresh, Amazon’s grocery delivery service, a free benefit of Prime in the UK instead of the monthly add-on fee or per-order charge it currently charges, the weekly magazine reported.
Amazon was not immediately available to comment.
The move comes as UK’s dominant online grocer, Ocado , has been struggling to open up grocery delivery slots for consumers due to unprecedented demand caused by COVID-19 related lockdowns.
Amazon’s new service is aimed at bringing rapid grocery delivery to almost 40% of UK households by the end of the year, the suppliers briefed on the program told The Grocer. Their products will be picked and packed at the refitted Amazon depots.
Ultrafast grocery delivery, a part of Amazon’s Fresh service, is currently available for free for Prime members in the United States.
In October, Seattle-based Amazon waived the additional $14.99 per month fee it charged for access to Amazon Fresh.
On Friday, Britain’s competition regulator cleared Amazon’s purchase of a stake in Deliveroo, in light of a potentially fatal deterioration in the online food delivery group’s finances as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon prepping to launch super-fast grocery delivery service in UK
https://arab.news/mszax
Amazon prepping to launch super-fast grocery delivery service in UK
- The service, Ultra Fast Fresh, involves retrofitting nine existing depots within the country to handle fresh produce and fulfill grocery orders within hours
- The move comes as UK’s dominant online grocer, Ocado , has been struggling to open up grocery delivery slots for consumers
Saudi Arabia, Japan trade rises 38% between 2016 and 2024, minister says
RIYADH: Trade between Saudi Arabia and Japan has increased by 38 percent between 2016 and 2024 to reach SR138 billion ($36 billion), the Kingdom’s investment minister revealed.
Speaking at the Saudi-Japanese Ministerial Investment Forum 2026, Khalid Al-Falih explained that this makes the Asian country the Kingdom’s third-largest trading partner, according to Asharq Bloomberg.
This falls in line with the fact that Saudi Arabia has been a very important country for Japan from the viewpoint of its energy security, having been a stable supplier of crude oil for many years.
It also aligns well with how Japan is fully committed to supporting Vision 2030 by sharing its knowledge and advanced technologies.
“This trade is dominated by the Kingdom's exports of energy products, specifically oil, gas, and their derivatives. We certainly look forward to the Saudi private sector increasing trade with Japan, particularly in high-tech Japanese products,” Al-Falih said.
He added: “As for investment, Japanese investment in the Kingdom is good and strong, but we look forward to raising the level of Japanese investments in the Kingdom. Today, the Kingdom offers promising opportunities for Japanese companies in several fields, including the traditional sector that links the two economies: energy.”
The minister went on to note that additional sectors that both countries can also collaborate in include green and blue hydrogen, investments in advanced industries, health, food security, innovation, entrepreneurship, among others.
During his speech, Al-Falih shed light on how the Kingdom’s pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka achieved remarkable success, with the exhibition receiving more than 3 million visitors, reflecting the Japanese public’s interest in Saudi Arabia.
“The pavilion also organized approximately 700 new business events, several each day, including 88 major investment events led by the Ministry of Investment. Today, as we prepare for the upcoming Expo 2030, we look forward to building upon Japan’s achievements,” he said.
The minister added: “During our visit to Japan, we agreed to establish a partnership to transfer the remarkable Japanese experience from Expo Osaka 2025 to Expo Riyadh 2030. I am certain that the Japanese pavilion at Expo Riyadh will rival the Saudi pavilion at Expo Osaka in terms of organization, innovation, and visitor turnout.”
Al-Falih also shed light on how Saudi-Japanese relations celebrated their 70th anniversary last year, and today marks the 71st year of these relations as well as how they have flourished over the decades, moving from one strategic level to an even higher one.
