Amazon expands ultra-fast deliveries in UK and adds same-day fruit and veg
Amazon will expand 30-minute deliveries to Manchester and Birmingham and add fresh groceries to same-day London orders as it shifts further into UK grocery.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Amazon is widening its fastest UK delivery services while adding fresh food to same-day baskets in London. The move follows the closure of its standalone Fresh stores and reflects a bigger push into grocery through home delivery, Whole Foods and partner retailers.
Amazon is trying to make shopping feel more like pressing a fast-forward button. Instead of going to a store, people can get fruit, vegetables and other groceries brought to them the same day, and some orders in big cities can arrive in about 30 minutes.
Analysis
Expansion
Amazon said its ultra-fast Amazon Now service, which already delivers in under 30 minutes in parts of London, will expand to Manchester and Birmingham later this year. It is also extending same-day delivery to Ipswich and Coventry, and in London it will let customers add fresh groceries to the same basket as other items.
The fresh range includes fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, bread, eggs and frozen foods. The company said the service will start in parts of central and east London, then expand to more postcodes and other areas over the coming months.
Grocery strategy
The change comes after Amazon closed its standalone Amazon Fresh stores and shifted more of its grocery strategy toward home delivery and Whole Foods. According to UK country manager John Boumphrey, the company wants grocery to remain a category it plays in, and it believes delivery can scale faster than physical stores.
Amazon said the same-day grocery option will be free for Prime members on orders over £20. Non-members will pay a £5.99 delivery fee regardless of basket size.
The company is also leaning on automation. It said robotics and AI-enabled systems are being used in its warehouses to support faster delivery, and its Darlington fulfilment centre has begun trial drone flights as part of the UK Prime Air test.
Wider context
Amazon said it booked about £32bn in UK sales last year, up from £29bn in 2024, and has pledged £40bn of UK investment over three years from 2025. Even so, it still faces strong competition from Tesco, Sainsbury’s and the Ocado-M&S partnership. The article frames the move as part of a broader attempt to strengthen Amazon’s position in British grocery while using logistics and automation to make its offer more attractive.
Key points
- Amazon will expand its under-30-minute delivery service beyond London to Manchester and Birmingham.
- Same-day grocery delivery in London will include fresh items such as fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy.
- The service will launch first in parts of central and east London before reaching more areas.
- Prime members get free same-day delivery on orders over £20; others pay £5.99.
- The move follows the closure of Amazon Fresh stores and a shift toward home delivery and Whole Foods.
If the rollout works, shoppers in more UK cities could get faster access to both groceries and everyday items in one order. Prime members may find the service especially useful because same-day grocery delivery is included as an extra free option above the spending threshold.
Amazon still faces tough competition from major grocers and online rivals, so faster delivery alone may not win a bigger share of the market. The article also shows the company has already closed one grocery format, which suggests parts of its strategy may continue to be revised if results disappoint.
