Sainsbury’s rolls out e-cargobike delivery trial

British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is trialling the use of electric cargobikes to deliver groceries to customers. 

A fleet of five e-cargobikes will be based at the Streatham Common store in South London. The bikes are set to deliver up to 100 orders a day to customers who’ve placed orders on the company’s website. 

"The trial demonstrates Sainsbury’s mission to deliver for its customers whenever and wherever they do their shopping," a company statement read

The trial is being staged in conjunction with e-cargobikes.com and aims to discover whether the bikes could be a more efficient way delivering to customers in congested cities. The bikes will be able to park closer to customers’ homes than is usually possible with vans (although some will dispute that because supermarket delivery vans are often parked on pavements by drivers).

Sainsbury’s routing algorithms will determine which orders are delivered by a traditional van or by e-cargobike. The order will then be delivered during the customer’s chosen time slot by Sainsbury’s-branded bikes and riders. 

If successful, the trial could be rolled out to further areas across the UK.

Clodagh Moriaty, Sainsbury’s online director, said: “We’re delighted to be the first supermarket to trial grocery deliveries by electric cargo bikes. We’re always looking for new ways to make sure we can best serve our customers and this trial will help us explore whether there might be a more flexible way to deliver Sainsbury’s groceries to those who live in busy cities.” 

James FitzGerald, e-cargobikes.com managing director added: “By taking existing e-cargobike technology and putting it to the test in a new market, we’re reimagining grocery deliveries and exploring a more sustainable transport system.”