Sainsbury’s launches first store with fully electric delivery fleet

GROCERY

Sainsbury’s has announced that its Nine Elms London superstore is now delivering to customers using a fully electric fleet.

The new electric vans mean customers’ grocery shopping will be delivered with zero emissions.

The Nine Elms delivery fleet is made up of 12 vans, with both the vehicle and fridge units now powered by electricity, so they will not emit carbon emissions or dust, dirt, soot, or smoke into the air. This means that the 145,000 households in Sainsbury’s Nine Elms delivery area can receive groceries from vehicles that are helping to reduce carbon emissions. The new vans will also operate much more quietly, helping to reduce noise pollution in local communities.

Sainsbury’s Nine Elms makes over 2000 deliveries on average each week, covering approximately 1760 miles, so the new 100% electric vans will help to save 57 tonnes of carbon annually, whilst contributing to a significant reduction in air pollution in the local area.

The change is part of the retailers’ transition to operating a fully electric fleet in all its stores by 2035, in line with its decarbonisation goals. The new fleet will also help Sainsbury’s achieve its commitment to becoming Net Zero in its own operations by 2035.

Patrick Dunne, Director of Property & Procurement at Sainsbury’s said: “We’re always looking at how we can use the latest technology to best serve our customers, whilst also doing the right thing for the planet. We’re thrilled to have launched a fully electric fleet in our Nine Elms superstore and we hope our customers will be delighted to learn that their groceries are being delivered with zero emissions, helping to reduce the environmental impact of their online shopping. This is just the first step for us, as we have committed to rolling out electric vans across the country to all our stores by 2035.”

Last year, Sainsbury’s introduced LED lighting across its entire estate, reducing lighting energy consumption by an average of 70%. It also announced the launch of Sainsbury’s Innovation Investments, which will see a minimum of £5 million invested over the next four years into start-up businesses commercialising innovative, sustainable technologies that look to reduce operational carbon emissions. Sainsbury’s currently operates with 100% renewable electricity and by the end of 2023 the retailer projects that up to 40% of its electricity will come from new-to-the-planet wind and solar power.

*Based on the total litres of diesel saved in April 2023 at Nine Elms (1557.3 litres) which equates for a CO₂ saving of 4.75t per month.