You can get novels, stationery and toys delivered in 20 minutes with Deliveroo

You might think Deliveroo is all about ordering that delicious greasy takeaway on a Friday night – but what about when you want to read the latest Zadie Smith novel and you’ve got no time to spare?

You can now get it ‘in 20 minutes’ as books, airpods, printer cartridges and exam revision materials become the latest items to be shipped across cities on the back of a bike.

The delivery company’s first major leap into general merchandise comes as bosses join forces with WH Smith.

Customers in Reading and Berkshire can get a choice of around 600 products delivered to their doors from Tuesday.

This will be rolled out across nine more stores over the next week – covering Richmond, south-west London, Muswell Hill, north London, Chiswick, west London, Brighton, East Sussex, Cambridge, Oxford, Leeds, West Yorkshire, St Albans, Hertfordshire, and Guildford in Surrey.

WHSmith suffered a tough 2021 as its airport and train station stores were hit by Covid lockdowns, although online sales jumped.

Deliveroo has rapidly expanded since the pandemic struck, linking up with supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

Carlo Mocci, chief business officer for UK & Ireland at Deliveroo, said he was ‘delighted’ at the new partnership with WHSmith.

‘WHSmith is the UK’s leading stationery retailer and the top consumer choice for high-quality and popular products for the whole family’, he said.

‘This partnership will further increase the choice and selection of on-demand convenience products for our consumers, delivered in as little as 20 minutes, and will create more work for riders across the UK.’

Sean Toal, managing director at WHSmith High Street, added: ‘We’re always exploring new ways to delight our customers both in store and online by providing them with an exceptional shopping experience.

‘We’re really excited to be partnering with Deliveroo for this trial which will complement our existing offer and enable our customers to receive the products that they want and need from us as fast as possible from their local store direct to their door; whether that’s a greetings card, working from home essentials, a last-minute gift or a newly released book.’

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