AmazonFresh has now launched in Germany, offering 85,000 groceries to online shoppers in a bid to disrupt the traditional supermarket sector.

If an order is placed by noon Monday to Friday, deliveries will be made in time for dinner the same day, Amazon promises. And if customers order late at night, up until 11pm, groceries will be delivered the following day in a selected two-hour delivery window.

The catalogue of items includes fresh produce as well as hundreds of selected items from Berlin delicatessens and local food merchants.

DHL is Amazon’s logistical partner in parts of the capital and nearby Potsdam, the first areas where the delivery service is available. Amazon says it plans a nationwide rollout.

"The key to the long-term success of AmazonFresh is the combination of great choice, good pricing, flexible delivery options, and the service customers appreciate at Amazon," said Ajay Kavan, vice president of AmazonFresh.

"The bar in food retail is very high. We start with an extensive range in a limited area and will take the time to improve the service on the basis of our experience and feedback from our customers.

“We are working methodically and very specifically on how to extend this offer to include other postcode areas."

AmazonFresh is available for Prime members for €9.99 per month. This gives the customer unlimited free deliveries with a minimum order value of €40 each.

Amazon initially launched its fresh food delivery service in Seattle in 2007, expanding to several other cities in the US, followed by a London launch last year. And in April, Amazon also extended its fresh food deliveries to Japan.

www.freshfruitportal.com