HelloFresh, the UK’s number one recipe box company, is trialling its own delivery fleet – a first in the category. The HelloFresh-branded last mile delivery solution marks a significant investment in service improvement.
The six-month trial is operated out of the Beehive distribution centre in Nuneaton and will initially cover the Birmingham and the West Midlands conurbation area. It offers customers in these areas the opportunity to select a premium 30 min delivery slot, with a simplified process for second-delivery if the first delivery attempt is unsuccessful.
By investing in its own delivery network, HelloFresh is putting its customers at the centre of its development. The service allows for more reliable delivery and offers more flexibility by offering additional 30 min delivery windows and days. In addition, the new infrastructure allows HelloFresh to respond quickly to fluctuations in demand, while fielding in-house trained personnel specialised on meal kit delivery.
Operating its own fleet enables HelloFresh to manage the entire logistics process and software, significantly improving the customer experience. The company already delivers directly to customers in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Australia where it has gained extensive experience in last mile operations.
Sarah Norman, COO of HelloFresh UK, said: “Our mission is to change the way people eat forever – empowering our customers to make choices that are right for them. Building our own last mile solution is an important step to further deliver this promise. This will allow us unprecedented contact with our customers and put further control in their hands, deciding when they want their deliveries to be made. I look forward to learning from this trial to further optimise the service we provide to our customers. “
The trial will be using owned refrigerated vehicles allowing HelloFresh to save packaging in the form of insulation and ice packs benefiting the environment as well as the customers. Introducing HelloFresh’s own delivery solution will also support another important goal in the company’s sustainability strategy – saving CO2 emissions on the last mile by cutting out middlemen and reducing van miles.
