Waitrose has launched a new subscription delivery service for customers costing up to £85 a year as it takes on its rivals who already offer plans at similar prices.
The upmarket supermarket has begun giving customers who order their groceries online or via its app the option to pay upfront for their chosen subscription period.
They can choose from £8 for a month, £45 for six months, or £85 for a year, allowing them to book up to one available grocery delivery slot per day at no extra cost.
An individual slot without the new ‘Waitrose Delivery Pass’ costs between £2 and £4 – meaning those booking one delivery a week would save from £19 to £123 each year.
Shoppers with the pass, which is now being rolled out more widely following a trial, will also get early access to the retailer’s Christmas delivery slots from September.
Tesco already offers a ‘Delivery Saver’ plan for £7.99 a month (£47.94 total) for a six-month anytime subscription or £6.99 a month (£83.88 total) for a 12-month period.
An off-peak plan costs £4.99 (£29.94 total) for six months, or £3.99 (£47.88 total) for 12 months. There is also a six-month click and collect deal for £2.49 a month.
Sainsbury’s charges customers £7.50 a month for an anytime ‘Delivery Pass’, or a one-off £43 payment for a six-month sign-up and £80 for 12 months. A midweek pass, covering Tuesday to Thursday deliveries, is £4 a month or £40 for 12 months.
| Anytime – one month | Anytime – six months | Anytime – 12 months | Off-peak – one month | Off-peak – six months | Off-peak 12 months | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco | n/a | £47.94 | £83.88 | n/a | £29.94 | £47.88 |
| Sainsbury’s | £7.50 | £43 | £80 | £4 | n/a | £40 |
| Asda | n/a | n/a | £69.50 | n/a | n/a | £39.50 |
| Morrisons | £8 | £45 | £70 | £5 | £25 | £40 |
| Waitrose | £8 | £45 | £85 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Ocado | £8.99 | £49.99 | £89.99 | £4.99 | £27.99 | £49.99 |
| Subscription delivery passes are not offered by Iceland or Co-Op. Aldi and Lidl do not offer home delivery | ||||||
Morrisons offers shoppers an anytime pass for £8 a month, £45 for six months or £70 for a year. The midweek option is £5 a month, £25 for six months or £40 for a year.
Asda offers an anytime 12-month pass for £6.95 a month if paying monthly, or £69.50 for a one-off annual payment. The midweek equivalents are £3.95 or £39.50.
Ocado offers an anytime delivery pass for £8.99 a month, £49.99 for six months or £89.99 annual. The midweek passes are £4.99, £27.99 and £49.99 respectively.
Iceland gives free delivery for spends of £40 online, and does not offer a delivery pass.
Co-op does not have a subscription, but offers delivery from £1.99 on a £15 minimum spend.
Lidl and Aldi do not offer home delivery and offer no passes.
Announcing the new Waitrose scheme, the supermarket’s online director Laura Burbedge said: ‘We’re investing in our online business to continuously improve it, giving our customers even greater value and the best possible experience.
‘Thousands of customers signed up for Delivery Passes through our trial, so we expect to see strong demand across the UK as we roll it out.’
Waitrose has held its market share of 4.4 per cent over the past year and sales have risen 5.5 per cent, according to data released today by Worldpanel by Numerator.
Last month the chain revealed plans to open its first full-size supermarket for seven years, with the 30,000 sq ft store expected to open in Brabazon, a new town in North Bristol, in 2027.
It will be the retailer’s first full-line supermarket opening since before the pandemic, although it has expanded over the period through convenience and smaller franchise stores.
In March, the John Lewis Partnership, which runs the department store chain and Waitrose, reported pre-tax profits of £97million in the year to January 2025, up from £56million a year earlier.
At the time, the firm said it would not pay a bonus and would instead focus on improved pay and investment in the business – but angry staff launched a petition saying they were ‘working harder than ever’ but ‘getting less recognition’.
Then, this week it was revealed that John Lewis could pay a bonus in 2026 for the first time in four years, with the board set to be asked to recommend a payment if pre-tax profits reach £200million in the year to February 2026.
