Morrisons has launched a new multi-temperature Click & Collect locker system in what it claims is a UK supermarket first.

The company is piloting StrongPoint’s grocery locker technology at its Skipton store in North Yorkshire, where all Click & Collect orders will now be fulfilled through the automated system.

The lockers are designed to allow customers to collect orders without waiting for colleagues to bring shopping to their cars, while also increasing the number of available collection slots.

At Skipton, Click & Collect operating hours will be extended by two hours a day as part of the trial.

Customers receive a unique six-digit code which they enter at the locker terminal to access their order, with shopping pre-loaded into the relevant ambient, chilled and frozen compartments ahead of arrival.

The system can allocate multiple locker doors to one customer for larger orders, with larger compartments able to hold up to three bags of shopping.

Chilled goods are kept at between 3°C and 5°C, frozen products at between -18°C and -20°C and ambient groceries at 16°C.

Morrisons has also integrated VoCoVo communication technology into the lockers, allowing shoppers to connect directly with store colleagues through a help button if they need assistance.

For orders containing age-restricted products, the relevant locker remains locked until a colleague has verified the customer’s ID in line with Challenge 25 rules.

The grocer said the new model would also replace its current process of handing over loose shopping, with Click & Collect orders instead pre-packed into paper bags.

Morrisons group online director Charlotte Exell said: “We know customers want Click & Collect to be quick, convenient and flexible, and our new locker solution is designed to be exactly that.

“By bringing StrongPoint’s proven technology to our stores, we can offer more collection slots while removing the wait for colleagues to bring orders to customers’ cars.”

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