Amazon Extends U.K. Grocery Alliance With Retailer Morrison

Thomas Mulier, Bloomberg News

Tins of own brand baked beans sit on a shelf inside a Morrisons supermarket, operated by Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, in London, U.K., on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018. Morrisons reported a growth in profits in their most recent financial year, boosted by food price inflation. , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. is expanding its alliance with U.K. grocer Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc to offer products on Prime Now to more cities across the country.

The companies plan to introduce same-day delivery service to cities including Glasgow, Scotland, and Liverpool, England, this year, up from four cities currently, Morrison said in a statement Thursday. Many customers will be able to receive groceries within one hour of ordering.

The companies plan further expansion of “Morrisons at Amazon” throughout the U.K. in coming years.

The world’s largest e-commerce company is stepping up its advance on a market grappling with the expansion of discounters. The deal builds on the alliance the companies formed in 2016, which was a first for Amazon in the U.K.

To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Mulier in Geneva at tmulier@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Eric Pfanner at epfanner1@bloomberg.net, John J. Edwards III