A beer store claiming to be “the UK’s smallest bottle shop” has opened in a disused phone box in Norwich city centre. Beer Hatch is owned by Saul Press and is an extension of a business that started as a local delivery service during lockdown, progressing to selling beer at local markets as the world reopened. “I noticed an advert on a phone box in…

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has issued new guidance for delivery drivers on how to approach the delivery and refusal of age restricted products, including alcohol. The guidance, which has been designed as a quick guide for drivers to view on their mobiles, details the steps that delivery drivers should go through to ensure that they are only delivering to customers that are 18…

Waitrose has become the latest multiple retailer to trial Deliveroo Hop, as it looks to deliver food and wine in a matter of minutes. Deliveroo launched rapid delivery service Deliveroo Hop in September 2021, in partnership with Morrisons. The Hop delivery-only store in partnership with Waitrose will open in Bermondsey later this month. The store will give rapid on-demand access to Waitrose…

Ecommerce is expected to account for 38% of all UK chain retail sales by 2026, according to a new report. Data and insights specialist Edge by Ascential said shoppers will continue to buy online post-pandemic. In the UK in 2019, ecommerce share of chain retail sales stood at about a fifth (21%), the company’s Future Retail Disruption Report for 2021-2022 said. By the end of…

Deliveroo has launched a delivery-only grocery store in partnership with Morrisons. Deliveroo Hop, available through the Deliveroo app, will offer grocery delivery in “as little as 10 minutes”. The first store, which is in Central London, will operate alongside Deliveroo’s existing on-demand grocery service, which the company said delivers from around 4,600 partner grocery stores across the UK. The first Hop will feature “up to…

Dry Drinker, the alcohol-free drinks retailer, has announced it is expanding into wholesale with the launch of a trade-focused site, which will offer next day delivery. The Dry Drinker has, until now, been a consumer-facing site and has seen high levels of growth over the last couple of years – notably since the lockdown began a year ago. The expansion into wholesale…

McColl’s Retail Group has announced a partnership with Uber Eats to offer home delivery of everyday convenience goods, including alcohol, from over 400 of its stores across the UK. A range of 500 daily essentials from over 400 McColl’s stores will be available on-demand via the Uber Eats app by the end of March 2021. Customers will be able to order a wide range of…