First Amazon Now quick commerce site goes live in the UK following launches in India and UAE

Amazon reports the launch of QLD1 - the first Amazon Now on demand delivery site in the UK.

Amazon Now lets customers purchase thousands of everyday essentials, such as groceries and personal care items, that will be delivered within minutes. In India, the service last year brought ten-minute delivery to Mumbai following launches in Bengaluru and Delhi, with 100+ micro-fulfilment centres operational.

In a LinkedIn post, Elisa Michelin Salomon, Ops Lead, EU Quick Commerce, said: "What started in May ‘25 as a few people around a table in Bangalore, discussing how we could learn from India and the UAE and bring quick commerce to Europe, has now become a live service for London customers - with fresh groceries and everyday essentials delivered in as fast as 30 minutes in Southwark area."

She added: "Six month ago, when we started this journey, I would never have imagined we could deliver a brand new service at this speed. This wasn’t just a site launch - it meant taking on the huge responsibility of standing up an entirely new network, shaping new operations, and enabling a new last mile delivery model from the ground up."

"From that initial small group, the journey grew into a collaboration across 57 partner teams, all aligned to make this possible. Proud of what we’ve built together - and just getting started."

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

On demand delivery will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.