Grocery giant Sainsburys is to expand its online grocery business, and is about to trial same day delivery at three stores inside the M25.

The Evening Standard has reported that Sainsburys is looking to extend its activities at its new online fulfilment centre in Bromley-by-Bow, that will open later this year. It also suggested that the grocer will be running same day delivery trials from three stores inside the M25 – Streatham Common, Brookwood in Surrey, and Richmond.

Shoppers who have ordered before 12pm can have their goods delivered to them by 6pm, or they can use the click and collect service to pick them up from a supermarket after 4pm. Should this trial be successful, it is likely that Sainsburys may expend this service to more than 30 stores by Christmas.

Sainsburys announced in April that it would double the number of stores offering click & collect groceries in its stores’ car parks over the next year.

In addition, recently Sainsbury has started trialling an app called Chop Chop. This new app offers deliveries within the hour from its Wandsworth, London store.

Other media reports suggest that the grocer has been running a recruitment programme for drivers and order pickers to support its moves to extend the online shopping programme.

Sainsbury’s overall delivery capabilities will receive a big boost when the operational merger with Argos begins to take effect. As previously reported by Apex Insight, Sainsburys is likely doing this with a view to competing with Amazon for its wide range of food and non food items, and has paid more than £1.4bn for the Home Retail Group to achieve this.