Shoppers in the York area will be offered a new stress-free route to their weekly shopping - along the information super highway.

Householders can stock up their fridges and cupboards without leaving home.

For at the touch of a button, their groceries can be delivered straight to their address.

Stores giant Sainsbury is launching its new home delivery service, called Orderline, at the end of the month.

Its Monk's Cross store at Huntington, York, is among the first dozen in the country to go on-line. The service will be available to customers living within a 30-minute drive from the store.

It mirrors a scheme run by Iceland, where customers at its Fulford Road branch in York have been able to place their order on the telephone and have the goods delivered for a £4 charge since last October. The store also offers a free delivery service to customers who shop in-store and spend more than £25.

From the end of April, Sainsbury's Monks Cross customers will be able to place their orders via the Internet or by fax or phone. For a £5 charge, they can have their goods delivered to their home, or they can collect them from the store for £3.50 extra.

To use the service, customers have to draw up a shopping list with staff noting their favoured brands and products, which can be updated.

Maureen Mitchell, Sainsbury's consumer direct manager, said: "We have developed a service which offers our customers just what they need - time-saving shopping alternatives tailored to their specific requirements."

Iceland say its buy-from-home scheme is already a success, with 80 customers a week using its service at Fulford Road.

Tesco is piloting a similar scheme at ten stores across the country.

York-based Costcutter runs a home delivery service from 80 per cent of its 762 stores across the country.

But Asda says it has no plans to introduce a similar service.

A scheme to make it easier for people with mobility problems to shop in York could be running by Christmas.

The City of York Council has invested more than £26,000 in Shopmobility, which will provide electric wheelchairs and buggies to disabled and elderly people.

www.sainsburys.co.uk

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