Sainsbury’s to double the number of click and collect grocery sites as full-year results loom
Sainsbury's is doubling the number of click & collect sites in its store car parks over the next 12 months to take the total number to 200.
The supermarket chain said its "drive thru" service was proving popular with customers as shopping habits change and plans to launch a further 100 sites by May 2017.
“We know that time is precious and people are increasingly looking for easier, more convenient ways to shop. This rollout forms part of our strategy to offer our customers more options to shop whenever and wherever they want," Robbie Feather, Sainsbury's online director, said.
The company's click and collect grocery service it still relatively small compared to its rivals, having launched in March last year. Tesco has 330 while Asda has around 620. Sainsbury's Tu clothing range, however, is available to pick up in 710 stores.
Read More: Asda puts the brakes on click and collect expansion plans
News of its click and collect expansion comes a day before Sainsbury's is due to publish its full-year results with analysts forecasting a 16 per cent fall in underlying pre-tax profits to £575m over the past year.
That compares with a 15 per cent decline reported the previous year.
Its acquisition of Argos is expected to complete later this year but HSBC retail analyst Dave McCarthy warns it could come at a difficult and distracting time, with Sainsbury's likely to be more vulnerable to a recovery gaining momentum at Tesco and Asda's efforts to turnaround the business.
"We remain cautious on Sainsbury, expecting further declines in profits and dividends over the next several years. Argos integration will confuse the numbers for a while, but the real issue is the potential disruption Argos could bring at a crucial time," he said.