Sainsbury’s grocery deliveries hit by ‘technical issue’

Supermarket chains Sainsbury’s and Tesco have said they are unable to fulfil some online grocery deliveries because of technical issues.

Sainsbury’s said it was unable to fulfil the “vast majority” of its online orders because of a technical glitch. The supermarket chain said an overnight software update had led to the problems affecting some stores, grocery online services and its ability to contact customers.

Tesco is also working to fix a technical issue that has affected a small proportion of its deliveries.

A spokesperson from Tesco said: “We are working to fix a technical issue which has meant we have had to cancel some online orders that were due for delivery today. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.”

A spokesperson from Sainsbury’s said: “Unfortunately, this also means we will not be able to deliver the vast majority of today’s Groceries Online orders and we are currently unable to contact customers directly, but will contact them as soon as we can to rebook orders. Our online ordering system is working as normal and customers can place a new order now for delivery any time from tomorrow. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience and are working hard to fix the issue.”

Sainsbury stores remain open, accepting chip, pin and cash payments. The supermarket chain said on Saturday morning it was “working hard to fix the issue” and apologised to customers whose deliveries were affected.

Argos, which is owned by Sainsbury’s, has also been affected by the software update, meaning customers may have issues ordering new items or collecting orders in-store. It said there may be delays in fulfilling orders placed on Saturday.

Last month, Sainsbury’s announced its decision to use more automated tills and warehouse robots as well as AI-forecasting tools to ensure it has the right stock in stores as part of a £1bn cost-cutting effort over the next three years.

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Simon Roberts, the chief executive of Sainsbury’s, said the group’s “legacy systems” were slowing it down and leading to more waste than necessary. “We have got to find better ways of doing things,” he said.