Germany: Kaufland launches online shopping service

Kaufland, one of Germany's leading supermarket chains, has announced its entry into the world of e-commerce.

From 6th October, consumers will be able to select from a wide range of products at www.kaufland.de "at the same attractive prices as in our stores", the company said in a statement.

Initially restricted to the Berlin area, although with a wider rollout planned, Kaufland's online shopping service will allow "goods ordered to be delivered promptly to the door of your home at an hour of your choosing", Kaufland said, adding that the minimum order value would be €40  ($45).

Available on desktop, mobile or tablet, the e-commerce service offers delivery slots of 1 hour and a variety of payment options including credit card, Paypal and payment on account, the retailer continued. Orders placed placed before midnight would be available for delivery from 7am the following day, the firm said.

Of the leading supermarket players in Germany, both Rewe and Kaiser's Tengelmann (through its Bringmeister service) currently offer an e-commerce service. In October of last year, Lidl also announced a limited foray into online shopping with its Lidl Vorratsbox scheme for fresh and ambient products, reportedly in a bid to compete with Amazon's Amazon Pantry service. More recently, the US online giant has itself bolstered its presence in Germany with the debut of Amazon Fresh in the country.

Source: Kaufland / E-commerce News