Waitrose, the UK grocer, plans to open a virtual shop in west London in October, reports the Independent.
Customers will submit orders online and Waitrose staff will pick out their items from the 100,000ft2 site in Acton.
Waitrose MD Mark Price claimed the new system would ensure that 'a much greater volume of orders can be picked at a time' and that web customers would be offered a wider range of delivery slots.
The announcement will intensify Waitrose's battle with online grocer Ocado for market share in greater London, but Ocado commented: 'We are delighted. In areas where both Ocado and Waitrose operate together, both brands grow faster and more customers are introduced to the Ocado and Waitrose brands.'
Waitrose, meanwhile, has also announced this week it will be the first UK supermarket to offer only English cherries for the five-week duration of the key summer season.
Buyer Nicki Baggott advised: 'We're confident that within the next two to three years English cherries will be as big and bold as English raspberries and strawberries.'
