Gorillas will deliver groceries throughout the Christmas holidays while supermarkets close to give key workers time off after a “challenging year”.
The startup – available across Cambridge, Manchester, Nottingham, Reading and Southampton – said it was “ideal” for “those last-minute Christmas dinner necessities”.
It will operate until 9pm Christmas Eve, 7pm Christmas Day, all day Boxing Day, 9pm New Year’s Eve and noon on New Year’s Day.
In a statement, Gorillas took aim at the grocers which are “likely to be shut across Christmas Day and Boxing Day”.
READ MORE: Tesco offers 10-minute groceries in Gorillas tie-up
“Gorillas provides a reliable, and ultra-fast, alternative to making sure your festive feasting is complete,” it claimed.
Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Aldi have said they will shut on Boxing Day.
“Christmas is a really special time for so many, but because of lockdown restrictions last year, lots of us weren’t able to celebrate in the way we wanted,” Sainsbury’s boss Simon Roberts said.
He added that the move was a “massive thank you” to employees for “everything they have done during the last challenging year”.
Gorillas recently attracted protests from its German couriers, who complained of “chronic back pain” after carrying packages weighing over the firm’s 10 kilogram limit.
“It’s not just the weight of the packages that is causing this,” one delivery worker complained.
“We’re actually absorbing a lot of shocks from the products, like champagne and beer.”
“They’re using our backs as cheap shock absorbers.”
A spokesperson said Gorillas now splits orders weighing over 10 kilograms between riders.
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