Tesco is to charge customers for click and collect orders through its Direct arm costing less than £30, saying the fee is needed to ensure the service remains sustainable.
The supermarket giant, which in October reported a sharp fall in profits, will introduce the £2 fee on Tesco Direct orders on 2 February. It already has a £4 charge for grocery shops below £40 which are ordered online and collected in store.
In July, John Lewis introduced a similar charge for orders collected in its stores and in branches of Waitrose. It said on Wednesday that sales through the channel were up 16% over the Christmas period, with shoppers spending more per order to qualify for free collection, and it was the delivery method of choice for half of online orders.
Tesco would not reveal how many orders it handles through click and collect.
A spokesperson for the retailer said: “To ensure our Click & Collect service remains sustainable for the future, from 2 February we will be introducing a £2 surcharge on all Tesco Direct Click & Collect orders under £30. We want to provide customers with a great online experience and continue to offer customers the convenience of our Click & Collect service at every Tesco store across the UK.”
In the autumn the retailer increased the estimated delivery time on orders to between five and seven days to cope with high demand for home deliveries and click and collect.
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