A trial of Morrisons' online delivery service is expected to begin as early as next month after its partner on the project Ocado began recruiting drivers.
The drivers have been told by Ocado on details release in its website that they will make up to 28 deliveries a day - up to 1,000 kg of shopping. Basic pay is £7.71 an hour and they have been offered a 15 per cent discount on groceries.
A first wave is being recruited to start next month for two weeks training ahead of the limited trial in the Midlands before Christmas. The main push will begin in January.
Birmingham is about 18 miles from the delivery centre in Dordon. Warwickshire - about half an hour in heavy traffic - and likely to be the main focus for the trial. Other urban centres like Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield are within easy striking distance.
Coventry is around the same distance as Birmingham, but less accessible from Dordon, and Burton-on-Trent is a similar distance in the opposite direction. Leicester and
Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips and Ocado boss Tim Steiner unveiled the £216 million deal with Ocado in May. Morrisons will lease Ocado's Dordon centre and Ocado will provide technology, staff and other services as part of the partnership that Philips has said would propel Morrisons from a 'standing start straight into the fast lane.'
The online delivery market is worth about £6 billion and Morrisons is playing catch up with rivals including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose - and Ocado.
Ocado's boss Tim Steiner has stated that he did not feel the customer bases of the two firms crossed over sufficiently to cause concern.
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