Morrisons will begin delivering to online customers from January as it looks to make its products available across 50 per cent of Britain in a year.

Executives at the supermarket say that a million new households each month will be able to shop with it via the internet, reaching 13 million by the end of January, 2015.

The Bradford-based grocer is launching its online business from a standing start via a technology tie-up with Ocado.

Chief executive Dalton Philips unveiled what Morrisons claims will be a unique web offering focused on making its value and fresh food proposition available to shoppers using the best delivery system available.

Mr Philips said: “We are late to the party but I am confident we can make quite an entrance.”

Customers will have to pay £1, £3, or £5 for deliveries, depending on the time of the day, and each order must be worth at least £40.

The supermarket will offer a “refund and replace” promise so that customers can check any fresh food and if it is not up to scratch send it back with the driver without paying for it, while also receiving a voucher for its value to make up for the inconvenience.

The pledge is designed to address the frustration of some online grocery customers about being sent poor quality fresh food such as fruit and vegetables.

Other innovations include wrapping bananas in bubble wrap and mangoes in socks to ensure their freshness, while flowers and cakes will also be given specially-designed packaging.