Sainsbury’s predicts online growth as it opens new dark store

Sainsbury’s has opened its new Bromley fulfilment centre that will cater for online grocery sale across London.

The retailer is predicting online orders will double from London-based customers by 2024.

The new 185,000sq. ft ‘dark store’ in Bromley-by-Bow has the capacity to fulfill around 25,000 orders across the capital a week, the retailer said and marked “a milestone” in its online sales plans.

It will be serviced by a fleet of more than 160 vans.

Sainsbury’s director of online Clodagh Moriarty said the high-spped centre would be able to handle high volumes and would operate day and night.

“The additional capacity provided by the centre means that, working with our 30 London stores which pick online orders, we’ll be able to keep up with demand for our service in London, which we expect to double over the next eight years,” she said.

The retailers’ overall online sales had reached £1billion in 2013, and rose nearly nine % last year, with orders up nearly 15% and it has recently launched several moves to boost its online service. Last month it rolled out 200 revamped digital Click & Collect points in stores across the UK, with digital check in points via a tablet to speed up the collection process. In July it rolled out a pilot same day delivery services across three of its London branches, and also launched a limited one-hour delivery service operated from an app.