Sainsbury’s is hoping to up its stakes in the supermarket wars by focusing on its online services.
The supermarket recently registered 47,000 internet grocery orders in a week, after Kevin Plant took over as head of Sainsbury’s Online in January.
Plant, who formerly managed 106 Sainsbury’s stores in the North of England, Scotland and Ireland, is keen to see the online service reach a further one million UK households by the end of the year.
Sainsbury’s Online currently ranks second on the internet grocery leader board behind Tesco but Plant hopes to usurp the top-spot and believes customer service is the key to success.
He said: “This is an aggressive market, and all our competitors are looking at how they can get a competitive advantage…We don't tend to worry about what Tesco does. We worry about what we do. The better customer service we give, the more demand we have for the service.”
Sainbury’s Online has been running for six years and now covers 78 per cent of England from 97 stores, which would to 85 per cent if Plant’s target is achieved.
According to Plant, the chain’s web-based service stands out from rivals in offering precise one-hour time slots for deliveries.
And customers can claim £10 off their shopping if deliveries arrive just one second late.
Sainsbury's Online also offers a free delivery service on some occasions.
Meanwhile, the service has boosted the retailer’s employment figures, with the addition of 600 permanent delivery drivers and teams of “pickers” in each store to select items for deliveries.
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