Metro to launch cold chain delivery services at all its stores by 2021

Metro China, a retailer jointly owned by Beijing-based Wumei Group and German wholesaler Metro AG, is planning to offer cold chain delivery services to all its customers by 2021.
Claude Sarrailh, CEO and President of Metro China, said Metro and Dmall, both of which are under Beijing-based retailer Wumart’s ecosystem, have jointly conducted 4 weeks of tests on an online ordering and cold-chain delivery service for individual customers.
The service, which is currently available in Beijing, enables Metro to deliver 1,000 orders a day of fully integrated cold chain services. The testing was largely focused on how to guarantee that the products were maintained in the right temperature despite the long distance outside of the stores before reaching the individual customers.
Previously, Metro China, a mix of retailing and wholesale solutions, had provided cold chain delivery services to only business customers such as canteens with larger volumes and in designated routes and frequencies. “Metro is very good at processing food and is well-versed in food safety and quality. But we did not have strong cold chain solutions for delivery services,” said Sarrailh. “It was a challenge to keep same level of quality and safety for merchandises at stores and in delivery. China is quite a hot country and it is risky to transport fresh products on the back of motorcycles.”
With digital support from Dmall, Metro has started using electronic trucks to deliver food and products within a distance of 7 kilometers from their stores. The plan is to launch the cold chain deliveries at all Metro stores in the country by next year.