Superdrug launches same-day delivery service

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Apr 6, 2020

As the UK enters its third week of national lockdown, Superdrug unveils a new same-day courier service to meet the urgent needs of customers during the pandemic. 

Available to customers within an eight-mile radius of over 300 stores, the service aims to serve those who can’t leave their home and reduce the number of visits customers need to make to a physical shop.

Like other essential retail brands, the health and beauty chain is asking in-store customers to maintain a 2 metre distance from others and restricting the number of customers per store at any one time. 

Perspex screens are being rolled out “as quickly as possible” to protect store staff and all beauty testers have been removed.

The new online service will see orders fulfilled straight from stores to ease pressure on the company’s online operations.

The company said it is experiencing “unprecedented volumes of orders online”, as more people shift towards e-commerce during the coronavirus crisis.

“The courier service is something that has been in development a while. We’ve brought it forward urgently to help those customers who are social distancing, from visiting stores at the moment and who might be in need of essential supplies quickly. We’re so pleased to be able to roll it out immediately to nearly half of our estate and we hope it goes some way in helping people during this time of need,” commented Matt Walburn, e-commerce director.

Superdrug, which offers beauty products from brands including L’Oréal, Maybelline, Max Factor, Revlon and Yves Saint Laurent, is allowed to continue operating during the lockdown because it sells essential products like baby milk, nappies, hand wash, sanitiser and general medicines.

Many of its stores remain open, but are operating on reduced hours.