Sainsbury's aims to 'double click'

Published on Monday 30 May 2011 15:11

Sainsbury's is looking to more than double its "click & collect" website service this year in a bid to boost its non-food sales.

The supermarket chain said yesterday that it would roll out the service, which allows customers to buy non-food products online and collect them at a shop, to convenience stores as well as more supermarkets.

It said click & collect was now available in 300 stores and it planned to add 100 more in June, to reach over 800 by Christmas. Helen Buck, Sainsbury's director of convenience, said: "General merchandise is a key area of focus for Sainsbury's and we are enjoying growth rates of 20 per cent in some areas. Services such as click & collect will play an increasingly crucial role in this."

She said that over a third of customers using the retailer's website for non-food goods were opting for click & collect.

Sainsbury's launched its non-food website in July 2009 and now has more than 15,000 products available including cookware, televisions and iPods.

The announcement came as Sainsbury's was reported to be considering the launch of a savings bond in a move to boost customer loyalty.

Chief executive Justin King is said to have asked the board to examine the plan after rivals John Lewis and Tesco both experimented with such products this year. In March, rival John Lewis launched a 50 million bond that was oversubscribed after 11 days.