Waitrose says it is creating up to 400 jobs as it expands its tie-up with Deliveroo from 40 shops to 150 by the end of the summer.

Workers will be hired to help fulfil orders for collection by Deliveroo couriers from sites including Cheltenham, Lincoln, Exeter, York and Sheffield.

The idea of the new two-year partnership is to make a range of 750-1,000 products available to be delivered to customers in as little as 20 minutes.

Waitrose said so far its sales through the tie-up with Deliveroo – which began as a five-store trial in September – had been strong and were helping to attract new and younger customers.

The supermarket’s executive director James Bailey said: “We have grown our online business at pace in the last year, responding to huge demand for online groceries and offering more choice in when and how people want to shop with us.

“We know convenience is key for many of our customers and the expansion of the service with Deliveroo will play an integral role in helping us make Waitrose food more convenient than ever before.”

It comes two weeks after Deliveroo said it was expanding its partnership with another supermarket chain, Sainsbury’s, to include 100 stores.

The delivery app, best known for its takeaway service, also has tie-ups with Co-op, Aldi and Morrisons.

The latest announcement, which comes about a month after Deliveroo flopped on its stock market debut, saw shares climb 2%.

Waitrose, part of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, enjoyed strong sales growth last year as its stores remained open during the pandemic while John Lewis, its department store sister chain, struggled.

Related posts:

Challenger Monument banks £28m from investors BoE’s Bailey warns EU against ‘dubious’ attempt to grab multi-trillion clearing business British Gas owner bolsters net zero goals as it posts another annual loss Whitbread in firing line over pandemic bonus deferrals Ted Baker puts brave face on pandemic sales slump Revealed: Britain’s top 10 places where house prices are rising fastest Black Friday boost expected as anxious shoppers stock up early for Christmas Tote raises stakes with £20m bet on discounted Betfred buyout Steep price rises coming to restaurants and bars after Christmas, industry boss warns UK growth slows as GDP edges closer to pre-pandemic levels Frozen turkeys in short supply (but beer stocks are excellent), industry data shows Are you in line for a cut to your bill? Water company performance penalties are revealed