Rewe launches grocery delivery in under an hour in Berlin

Rewe, one of Germany’s largest supermarket chains, has launched a rapid grocery delivery service in Berlin that promises to bring shopping to your door in less than an hour. According to the Berliner Morgenpost, orders go through the Uber Eats, Wolt and Lieferando apps, starting with twelve Rewe shops across the city.

What happened

From 10 November, Berlin customers can order groceries from participating Rewe shops through the three delivery apps. Rewe calls the service “Sofort-Lieferung”, which means “instant delivery”, and says orders should arrive in less than an hour. The Berliner Morgenpost reports that, according to Rewe, Berlin is the first city where the service has launched on all three platforms at the same time.

Twelve shops are taking part at launch. The Morgenpost lists locations in Steglitz, Lankwitz, Kreuzberg, Wittenau, Haselhorst, Pankow, Charlottenburg, Mariendorf and Zehlendorf, among others. Rewe plans to add many more branches by the end of November or early December, including shops in Schöneberg, Alt-Treptow, Lichtenberg, Marzahn, Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, Köpenick, Neukölln and Spandau.

Rewe describes the service as an addition to what it already offers. You can still shop in store, use Rewe’s regular delivery service, or order online and collect your shopping from a shop. Clemens Bauer, Director of Rewe E-Food, told the paper that customers now expect to order groceries “as simply and flexibly as suits their everyday life”. He said the partnerships are meant for moments when people need groceries at short notice.

What it means for you

If you live near one of the participating shops, you can order from your phone. Here is how it works, according to the Berliner Morgenpost:

• Where to order: open Uber Eats, Wolt or Lieferando and choose “Rewe Sofort-Lieferung”. Add what you want to your basket. Staff pick the items in the participating shop, and the platform’s own couriers deliver them.
• When: Monday to Saturday, between 9 and 22 Uhr (Uhr is German for “o’clock”). The service is not offered on Sundays. Exact delivery times depend on which shop serves your area.
• What you can buy: between 5000 and 9000 products depending on the shop, including fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, frozen food and ready meals.
• Where it goes: to your home or to your office.

Costs need a closer look. A Rewe spokeswoman told the Morgenpost that each platform sets its own delivery fees, which can depend on things like distance. She said the full cost breakdown appears before you place and pay for your order. Prices may also differ from what you would pay in the shop, because they are based on both the platform’s range and the shop’s range. The source gives no actual fees or price differences, so compare the total at checkout with what you would normally pay in store, and check all three apps if you have them installed.

If your district is not on the launch list, it may be in the next round. Neukölln, Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg and Spandau are among the areas named for expansion.

What to watch next

The main thing to watch is the expansion to more Berlin branches, which Rewe expects by the end of November or early December. If you live in Schöneberg, Alt-Treptow, Lichtenberg, Marzahn, Köpenick or another district named for expansion, check the apps around that time.

Rewe also told the Berliner Morgenpost that it plans to launch Sofort-Lieferung in other large German cities before the end of the year. In the longer term, it intends to bring the service to small and medium-sized cities too. This matters if you are moving elsewhere in Germany or have family outside Berlin. The paper does not say which cities come next.

Source: Berliner Morgenpost