Aldi ramps up competition with home delivery service

Aldi is ramping up its fight against supermarket rivals Coles and Woolworths by muscling in on the growing home delivery market.

The German retailer announced on Tuesday it had teamed up with DoorDash for its first foray into grocery delivery services.

The home delivery trial started in Canberra on Tuesday and is expected to roll out nationwide in the “near future”.

Aldi shoppers can select from 1800 products, including fruit and vegetables, meat, seafood, dairy, bread and household essentials.

Deliveries are arranged through the DoorDash app.

Customers add items to their cart and choose on-demand, same-day or scheduled deliveries.

Coles and Woolworths have been delivering groceries for decades, and demand soared during the pandemic.

Online shopping is reported to have increased between 20 and 30 per cent year-on-year because of growing demand.

Aldi, which opened in its first store in Australia in 2001, has until now only offered customers the option of lugging groceries home.

“Since entering the Australian market, Aldi’s mission has been to deliver high-quality groceries at the lowest prices for Australian households and this ambition remains as strong as ever,” Aldi Australia chief commercial officer Jordan Lack said.

“Through our partnership with DoorDash, we can now literally deliver on this mission directly to Aussies’ doorsteps in an exciting new way that we know our customers have been seeking.”

DoorDash APAC vice-president Simon Rossi said the partnership would make life easier for Aldi customers.

“We know that value and convenience are top priorities for Australians, and this partnership is about continuing DoorDash’s mission to combine the best of both worlds,” he said.

“With Aldi’s trusted quality and DoorDash’s on-demand delivery technology, we’re excited to create more seamless and accessible shopping experiences.”

Coles and Woolworths have reported huge growth in their online grocery services.

Global Digital Insights reports that about one in five Australian shoppers (23.1 per cent) go online to shop for groceries and fresh produce in an eCommerce store.