Speaking at last week's Marketing Society Retail Forum, Steve Robinson, chief executive of Tesco Direct, said that on average, the desks require 1.5 people a day to run them, and could deliver significant incremental sales.
He said Tesco wanted to 'raise the bar in non-food mail-order shopping and has uniquely been providing two-hour time slots'.
Robinson added: 'Tesco has reduced lead times on bulky items from the industry average of 10-12 weeks to a mere five-10 days.'
He said it was only possible to provide such a service because of Tesco's decision to handle most Direct business in-house. 'To be successful on the internet in non-food, you have to have as much ownership as possible,' he added.
Robinson claimed that Argos has since copied the supermarket's policy of next-day delivery as standard.
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