Thirty-minute delivery will be available through Instacart at every Ahold Delhaize supermarket chain, including Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Food Lion and Hannaford, per a Tuesday (Dec. 7) report from Supermarket News.
Instacart said that virtual convenience storefronts like Giant Food Convenience, Food Lion Now and Hannaford Now would also be joining in the rapid sharing of convenience items and household essentials.
Stop & Shop, the largest Ahold Delhaize supermarket, rolled out its delivery service in October. Meanwhile, The Giant Company debuted a 30-minute delivery service in late September.
The items available for 30-minute delivery would include over-the-counter medicines, paper goods, household cleaners and baby care products, along with staple groceries, prepared foods, snacks and beverages.
Chris Rogers, vice president of retail with Instacart, said the idea was to “offer a streamlined way for customers to get the last-minute items they need fast.”
“Our convenience business has more than doubled since June due to customer demand, and our expanded partnership with Ahold Delhaize USA allows Hannaford, Giant, Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Giant Food and Martin’s customers to access both delivery speed and selection from their favorite grocer,” Rogers said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to find new ways to make the online grocery experience effortless, accessible, and affordable for customers in deep partnership with retailers.”
Instacart has also recently announced a new idea for a 15-minute delivery service, which PYMNTS writes could give it an outsized advantage in the grocery delivery space.
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The company is working with a delivery provider that already works with many grocers on Instacart’s marketplace, and Instacart plans to debut its new program in February.
The 15-minute grocery business has been the next step after the grocery delivery idea became more mainstream because of the pandemic last year.
Tyler Trerotola, co-founder of Jokr, which also offers 15-minute grocery delivery, said recently that the market was so small a percentage of the grocery market that the company wasn’t worried.
That said, Instacart’s entry could prove a challenge due to its high valuation compared to others in the delivery field.