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A report, Improved Goods Delivery, prepared by the National Materials Handling Centre for the Lorries and the Environment Committee, refers to "a retail company with its own system of warehouses and delivery flats (a vertically integrated system)". These are presumably high-rise flats.
According to the experience of a company distributing a
range of "grocery products" the average time required to deliver to a shop is 4.015 minutes. This is broken down into five elements. For instance, after delivering the goods, it takes the driver 0.728 minute to -stow barrow; secure doors; return to cab; prepare to move off."
An Olympic gold medallist could be expected to knock 0.08 second off that time. But if the driver sneezed twice the whole delicately regulated operation would collapse.
For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with products, I should explain that these are the unsaleable bits that have to be cut off groceries after they have been prodded by customers' grubby fingers