Amazon brings 30-minute delivery to Manchester, Birmingham and fresh groceries

Amazon is taking its fastest UK delivery play beyond London. The company said it will expand Amazon Now, its ultra-fast service that already delivers goods in less than 30 minutes to parts of the capital, to Manchester and Birmingham this year. At the same time, it is adding fresh fruit and vegetables to same-day grocery delivery in London, turning a service that once moved household items quickly into something much closer to a full grocery run.

That matters because the move comes after Amazon closed its standalone grocery stores. In other words, the company is not backing away from groceries in the UK. It is changing the format. Instead of asking shoppers to visit a separate physical store, Amazon is leaning harder into delivery speed, app-based convenience, and a tighter link between everyday shopping and its logistics network. For rivals, that is a familiar Amazon move with a new twist: fewer storefronts, more fulfillment, and a sharper promise that the things you need can show up almost immediately.

The practical stakes are pretty obvious. Ultra-fast delivery resets customer expectations fast, especially in major cities where convenience can become the deciding factor.