Morrisons to back with online deliveries

Morrisons declared it would soon be back on an equal footing with its rivals as it revealed online d…

Morrisons declared it would soon be back on an equal footing with its rivals as it revealed online deliveries would launch in January and cover half of the UK by the end of 2014.

Unveiling its plans yesterday the supermarket said it would reach one million new households each month next year as the service was rolled out across the country.

Chief executive Dalton Philips said: “It’s late but not too late to join the online party.”

The U.K.’s fourth-biggest food retailer, is to make its fresh-food offering the center of a new online grocery service, including hand-cut meat.

Phillips outlined a service that will include a virtual butcher and a grading system for fresh food, which will allow shoppers to immediately hand back food they don't think is good enough.

Philips said he would be delivering the first order in one of Morrisons' bright yellow vans as he seeks to turn around the chain's fortunes by selling more fresh food online than any other grocer. The supermarket has been losing market share under pressure from discounters such as Aldi and major supermarkets such as Sainsbury's. In September it revealed a 22% fall in half-year profits.

Morrison hopes online sales and an expansion of convenience stores will help reverse seven straight quarterly declines in same-store sales as its share of the market is eroded by discounters Aldi and Lidl.