J Sainsbury PLC (LSE:SBRY) has entered a partnership with Just Eat that will see thousands of grocery items offered for delivery from shops in under 30 minutes.
Just Eat will deliver some 3,000 items from 175 Sainsbury’s stores by March, with the rollout due to spread to new sites throughout the year.
London, Edinburgh and Bristol will be among the first cities to get the offering.
“Just Eat’s grocery offering is going from strength to strength and continues to be an area of significant focus,” commented Amy Heather, Just Eat’s strategic accounts director.
“The partnership comes as popularity for on-demand grocery deliveries is on the rise in the UK,” Just Eat added in a statement.
Just Eat already delivers for Asda and this new deal now makes it a partner for two of the UK’s ‘Big Four’ supermarkets.
Just Eat will offer Sainsbury’s a fast delivery option to homes in a grocery market that “remains structurally robust,” according to Shore cap analyst Andrew Saunders.
Sainsbury’s reported bumper Christmas and third quarter sales last week, rising 7.1% and 5.2% respectively compared to a year earlier.
The grocer also raised its annual profits forecast to £690mln.