A small pack of Co-op Fairtrade bananas is the main staple of Chichester residents’ shopping baskets closely followed by a four pint bottle of semi-skimmed milk.

In Portsmouth, a four pint bottle of semi-skimmed milk is the main staple of residents’ shopping baskets closely followed by a two litre bottle of branded of cola.

Since Southern Co-op launched a home delivery service at its Chichester and Portsmouth stores last September, there has been an average of 157 orders per week with the two products being ordered the most regularly, closely followed by meal deals, cucumbers and carrots.

The co-operative’s delivery service, accessed via the Snappy Shopper app, created 24 new jobs picking, packing and driving.

Since its launch, the service which originally covered Chichester and Portsmouth, has expanded to even more stores taking in The Co-operative Food stores in Emsworth, East Wittering and Selsey.

Adam Skiller, Store Manager at The Co-operative Food – Stockbridge Road, in Chichester, said: “The service has proven to be very popular locally and gave us the ability to deliver essential items to our more vulnerable local customers throughout the lockdown period. This enabled is to provide a better, more personable service to our local community.

“Fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, sandwiches and bread have all proved to very popular in Chichester.  People really appreciate that we can deliver within the hour with no need to book delivery slots in advance and we also give them a courtesy call if we don’t have the exact product they ordered to offer alternatives.

“Our store colleagues have also been very positive about the new service and hope to grow the potential of the home delivery service in the future.”

The initial pilot, which ran from September to January, saw 95% of reviews giving five stars, courtesy phone calls to talk through any product swaps, and customers returning every week including one loyal customer who has placed more than 210 orders.

Customers near 26 Southern Co-op convenience stores can now order more than 3,000 products covering, fresh foods, groceries, pet food, baby care, magazines and newspapers.

Andy Batt, Head of Group Development at Snappy Shopper, said: “High-quality service standards are the cornerstone both for home delivery and shopping in-store.

“From the start Southern Co-op has prioritised order processing and delivery times as the foundation of their delivery service and built on providing an excellent customer experience.

“This is resulting in very satisfied shoppers, making repeat purchases on a weekly basis. We are looking forward to the future with Southern Co-op.”

To download the app:

• App Store: https://coop.ly/331xKF5
• Google Play: https://coop.ly/3055E9O

Or to find out more, please contact Customer Services via [email protected].