Amazon launches one-hour delivery service in Portsmouth

Internet giant Amazon is launching its new Prime Now service, which lets people buy from a range of more than 15,000 items and have them delivered to their doorstep within 60 minutes.

Operating from a new depot in Fareham, the range include essentials such as nappies, coffee, chocolate and fresh milk, as well as other popular items including games consoles, toys, gifts and sports equipment.

Customers access the service via an easy-to-use app on their mobile phone.

Jason Weston, director of Amazon’s Prime Now service in the UK, told The News: ‘Prime Now is our fastest delivery option ever and from today Prime customers in Portsmouth can get the items they need quickly, delivered right to the door in under an hour.

‘Whether it’s essentials like fresh milk, nappies or even a last-minute gift, customers love the convenience of delivery straight to their door in less than 60 minutes.’

To sign up, people need to pay the £79 annual subscription for Prime, which also includes access to on-demand streamed movies, TV programmes and music. Once logged on to the app, having chosen the items they want for delivery, customers pay £6.99 to have them delivered within the hour.

Alternatively, Prime members can opt for free delivery within a two-hour time window of their choice on the same day.The minimum spend is £20.

The service has gone down a storm since being launched last June in London and has been rolled out to other big cities like Manchester and Leeds.

The service will cover a large area of south Hampshire. But the one-hour service will only be available to certain postcodes: PO13, PO14, PO15, PO16, PO17, PO2, PO3, PO6, SO18, SO19, SO30, SO31, SO32.

The two-hour delivery windows will be available further afield from the Fareham depot. The locations are: PO1, PO12, PO4, PO5, PO7, PO8, PO9, SO14, SO15, SO16, SO17, SO21, SO22, SO23, SO40, SO50, SO51, SO52, SO53.

Mr Weston said the venture would create ‘hundreds of jobs’ across the UK. But he could not be specific about the number of jobs locally.

The company is offering monthly trials of Prime membership and £10 off for customers on their first order of £30 or more if they enter 30PRIMENOW at checkout.