Foyles has begun offering a same-day delivery service in central London "in a new drive to be more competitive online and serve Christmas demand," the Bookseller reported.
The store is offering the service on orders placed by 12 p.m. for delivery from Foyles' flagship store on Charing Cross Road. The charge is £7.50 (about $11.50) for the first book and £1 ($1.53) for each additional book. Foyles is also offering free second-class postage in the U.K. on all online orders.
Foyles' head of digital Mark Thwaite told the Bookseller: "In our move towards omnichannel retailing, we have harmonised our instore and online pricing." The new policies, he added, "provide our customers with the same quality of experience, however they chose to shop with Foyles. It also enables our booksellers to order any titles not in stock to be delivered directly to a customer's home for exactly the same price as they would have paid in store."
A year ago, Amazon began a same-day collection service in the U.K. at 500 pick-up locations in Smiths News newsagents and convenience stories. More recently, Amazon began a £6.99 ($10.70) one-hour delivery service in London for Prime members--and free for two-hour deliveries--available from 8 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week.
