Milko to deliver groceries

11:40am Tuesday 31st July 2007

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Milk floats will drop off more than just dairy products under a trial to deliver organic vegetables, toilet paper, cat food and other groceries to homes in Surbiton.

In line with online supermarket deliveries, Surbiton residents can order a range of household groceries over the phone or internet and have them delivered by their milkman by 8am the next day.

The scheme, milk&more, has been developed by Dairy Crest to respond to consumer demand for home delivery and no queues.

Alan Headworth, project operations manager at the Surbiton depot, said: "I've been in this business for 28 years and I find this very exciting. The industry is changing and this project is taking us in the right direction.

"People are looking for home delivery, and that's always been our business."

Items on the menu include fruit and vegetables sourced from local suppliers in Godalming.

But a quick glance at the list shows that although 150 items are on sale, the prices don't always match those of larger competitors like Tesco.com. But Diary Crest argued its prices reflect the quality of the produce.

A spokesman said: "milk&more supports the local community by offering fresh, locally produced fruit and vegetables from Surrey and neighbouring counties at prices which are competitive with farm shops."

He said the scheme has been a success so far in Surbiton and Dairy Crest has already agreed to roll it out to neighbouring depots in Epsom and Richmond.