Amazon has launched a rapid grocery service – Amazon Now – offering thousands of food products and household essentials for delivery in 30 minutes or less.
The service is initially being tested in select postcodes in Southwark in south east London, with plans to roll out further in the coming months.
The service allows users to shop from a “wide selection” of products across 35 categories, Amazon said, including January staples like protein snacks, low & no alcohol drinks, vitamins and supplements, as well as everyday essentials like milk, eggs, fresh fruit & veg, toothpaste, pet treats, nappies and over-the-counter medicines.
“Amazon Now brings a new level of speed and convenience to customers, delivering thousands of groceries and household essentials in less than 30 minutes,” said John Boumphrey, UK country manager of Amazon.
“It’s the latest example of our commitment to faster delivery, building on the millions of items we already deliver the same or next day to customers across the UK.”
As Amazon Now expands, customers in eligible postcodes will find the option in the menu at the top of the Amazon homepage or app.
The service is available to both Prime members and non-members. Prime members get discounted delivery fees starting at £1.99 per order, versus £3.99 for non-prime members. A £2 fee applies to all orders under £15, regardless of membership.
The 30-minute delivery time is the fastest Amazon has offered in the UK, and brings it in line with the delivery time of aggregator apps like Deliveroo (in which Amazon has a 11.5% stake), Just Eat and Uber Eats, which have expanded in recent years into grocery and non-food retail.
Amazon said in the UK, groceries and household essentials represented “one in three items ordered daily”.
In early 2025, Amazon’s Everyday Essentials category – which includes groceries and household items – grew almost twice as fast as all other categories. Amazon Now customers would have access to “a carefully curated selection of the most popular products in this space” Amazon said.
“More news about the offering will follow the coming months, as Amazon continues to make shopping easier, faster, and more affordable for customers across the UK,” a spokesman added.
The launch of Amazon Now follows the September announcement that Amazon was to close all 19 of its Amazon Fresh physical convenience stores, the decision coming less than five years after it opened the first in Ealing, which was the company’s first physical retail site outside North America.
All have now shuttered, while five will reopen as Whole Foods Market stores.