More Amazon Lockers headed to the U.K.

Morrisons is leveraging its partnership with Amazon to deliver the next wave of convenience for its time-starved shoppers.



The United Kingdom-based grocer plans to install hundreds of Amazon Lockers throughout its supermarkets this year, a move that allows customers to pick up Amazon orders at the store rather than wait for a home delivery.



"Many busy customers can’t wait at home for their delivery,” Trevor Strain, Morrisons’ CFO, said in a company statement. “We believe the option to pick it up from one of our hundreds of conveniently located supermarkets will be attractive."



Customers using the Amazon Lockers will receive an email or text with a unique code. They enter the code or scan the barcode from the email to retrieve their product at the locker. Morrisons’ lockers augment more than 1,000 Amazon Lockers currently available throughout Europe in locations ranging from petrol forecourts, convenience stores and shopping centers to universities, train stations, banks and airports.



The program builds on a new relationship between the two companies. In May, Morrisons began to supply thousands of grocery items that are now available to Amazon customers through AmazonFresh in London, Amazon Pantry nationwide, and Amazon Prime Now, the company's ultra-fast delivery service available to more than 30% of the U.K. population.



The partnership bolsters Morrisons’ goal to add ‘popular and useful services’ to its stores, the statement said. Over the last 12 months in-store cafes have been improved, and Morrisons has also expanded its dry cleaning, key cutting and shoe repair businesses.



The launch also comes on the heels of rival Sainsbury’s announcement last week to expand its partnership with eBay, and add 200 digital click-and-collect points across U.K. grocery stores by year’s end. The program augments Sainsbury’s recent acquisition of Home Retail Group, owner of Argos and Habitat. The digital collection points will feature tablets that allow customers to check-in — a process expected to speed up the time it takes to receive their parcels, according to a Sainsbury’s statement.