Having groceries delivered is gaining popularity. E-supermarket Picnic is therefore further expanding its services. Residents of Leusden in Utrecht can now also use the service and several large cities in the Netherlands will soon follow.
Exciting step
The company plans to take a big step in 2016 with an expansion of the service to Utrecht, Almere and Apeldoorn, among others. Michiel Muller, one of the company's founders, tells Distrifood.nl he is delighted with the expansion. "It is a big operation to start delivering in a big city. For a city like Utrecht alone, for example, we need between forty and sixty delivery vans at the start."
Read also: Logistics Picnic cannot handle popularity
Interest in Amersfoort
In October, Picnic started delivering groceries in Amersfoort and it has proved a success, as the delivery area has now expanded to Leusden, a border municipality of the Keistad. "We have now admitted 5,000 consumers to our app in Amersfoort; due to the huge interest, there was even a waiting list for some time."
Collaboration with Boni
Picnic is collaborating with supermarket Boni, which is helping the company in the growth Picnic is currently experiencing. For instance, Picnic rents part of Boni's distribution centre in Nijkerk in the province of Gelderland. That warehouse serves as a central point from which products are delivered to hubs in the region. Boni managing director Harm Peter Wijnstok told Distrifood.nl that he saw a lot of potential in Picnic and was thus keen to work with them. "We as Boni got involved in the plans quite quickly."
Electric cars
The groceries ordered are delivered to consumers by electric cars. A total of seventeen trolleys deliver the orders to customers in Amersfoort, but the French company that produces and delivers these vehicles cannot currently cope with Picnic's strong growth.
In order for Picnic to roll out further, solutions are needed, explains co-founder Frederik Nieuwenhuys. "We have now found a second supplier, an Italian company. This will allow us to start accelerating the rollout early next year."
Editorial LogistiekProfs
