Delivery services by supermarket chains are on the fast track, with retail customers readily taking advantage of the option to have their everyday grocery needs delivered to their home within a defined time slot. For the chain stores, online retail activities involve a vast effort in terms of logistics, with much to lose, but also much to gain. A team of mathematicians at the Alpen-Adria-Universität, assembled by optimisation expert Philipp Hungerländer, has succeeded in increasing the efficiency of the delivery routes of a global retail brand in England by more than 10 per cent. As a result, the corporation has reduced its costs by several million Euros per year.

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