Woolworths' bold plan to rip up click-and-collect process: 'Matter of minutes'
Plans for Woolworths to open a dedicated click and collect store – without any walk-in shoppers – have been revealed, in a bold move to cut down pick up times.
A development application from the supermarket revealed the plans to turn a petrol station in Sydney's east into a pick up site for online shopping orders, due to an increased demand for the service.
The store would allow for up to 100 customers a day to collect their groceries as a part of a development on a Caltex service station site on Old South Road in Rose Bay, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Booking system would manage collection demands
The store would run separately from other Woolworths stores and would be a base for food delivery companies (such as Uber Eats) as well as the Woolworth's delivery service.
The fuel bowsers would be removed for car spaces, with six bays dedicated for customers collecting their orders.
Fabcot — the property division of the Woolworths group — say the company has plans to eventually build a "small to medium-scale" Woolworths outlet at the site.
“Customers using this service will only be parked for a matter of minutes while they wait for their order to be delivered to their car, as opposed to a typical shopping trip which can take upwards of 30 minutes,” Woolworths said.
“This model is in response to a sustained increase in online shopping that is seen within the existing supermarket network while also providing a reduced Covid-19 risk for customers.”
The Daily Telegraph reported Transport for NSW has provided early feedback on how it would impact the traffic in the Rose Bay area, with traffic modelling predicting it could generate 340 car movements daily.
Fabcot said the traffic impact would be managed by a grocery collection booking system.
The Caltex fuel station was acquired by Woolworths in 2019 and was one of 10 purchased from the petroleum brand. It is unclear if the other nine, including one site on Bondi Road, will also be similar facilities to the one proposed in Rose Bay.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
