Amazon Fresh is coming to the UK, Amazon has announced, marking the first step the grocery delivery service has made outside of the United States. From today, Amazon Fresh will be available to Amazon Prime subscribers in north and east London from today onward, with a 30-day free trial available to people who sign up to use Fresh for the first time.

Fresh is initially available to 69 London postcodes, with one-hour timeframes selectable so users can ensure they're home to collect their groceries, and same-day delivery is an option if they order before 1PM. In addition to more than 130,000 dairy, bakery, and other fresh produce items, Amazon will also deliver goods from around 50 small local specialist stores, including stalls at London's Borough Market, local fishmongers, and high-end chocolatiers.

Fresh will be available to 69 postcodes in north and east London

The expansion of Amazon Fresh comes after the company reportedly conducted tests in the British capital, sending fresh items out from its depot in Bow, east London, but Amazon was reportedly preparing to expand its grocery service across the Atlantic last July. Ahead of the announcement, Amazon had recently inked a deal with Morrisons, the terms of which saw the British supermarket chain agreeing to supply grocery items to the retail giant.

Amazon's Fresh service has had a slow expansion in its native United States, giving time for many British supermarkets — including Morrisons — to entrench their their own established grocery delivery services. Ajay Kevan, Amazon Fresh's vice president, says the company will test the market carefully. "[British] supermarkets and grocers are among the very best retailers in the world," Kavan told The Guardian. "We will be very methodical and considered in how we roll this service out further in the UK."