Dive Brief:

• Schnuck Markets and DoorDash have expanded their prepared food delivery partnership to 25 of the Midwestern supermarket chain’s locations in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, according to a Monday press release.
• The expansion is targeting faster delivery times, with orders arriving in as little as 30 minutes, Schnucks said. Customers can place orders through either the Schnucks Rewards or DoorDash app for items including rotisserie chickens, sandwiches, chicken wings, pulled pork, side dishes and side salads. 
• DoorDash is stepping up its relationship with Schnucks as the e-commerce company intensifies its efforts to win business from online grocery shoppers.

Dive Insight:

Schnucks’ decision to boost the number of stores where it offers service through DoorDash builds on the grocer’s announcement in early 2021 that it had started working with the delivery platform at five supermarkets in the St. Louis area, its home market.

The expansion is targeting faster delivery times for meal options that consumers might want in a pinch. DoorDash will deliver orders to addresses up to 3.7 miles from the Schnucks’ locations included in the companies’ expanded partnership, which encompasses 16 stores in Missouri, eight in Illinois and one in Indiana. By contrast, DoorDash provided service to customers within 6 miles of the five stores that were part of the original arrangement.

Shoppers who place a Schnucks order through DoorDash for the first time in July will get a 20% discount if they spend at least $15, according to the announcement. Schnucks added that it might bring DoorDash service to additional locations and add more menu options at a later point, but did not provide further details.

In a statement, Chace MacMullan, Schnucks’ senior director of digital experience, said expanded prepared foods delivery complements other digital services the grocer offers, like order-ahead deli items and custom cakes.

DoorDash’s broadened deal with Schnucks follows other steps the e-commerce firm has recently taken to bolster its ability to compete with Instacart in the race to secure dominance in the high-speed grocery delivery space.

DoorDash launched an express grocery delivery service in partnership with Albertsons, making more than 6,000 items available to online shoppers within less than 30 minutes. That announcement came after Instacart struck deals last year to provide 30-minute delivery service for grocers including Kroger, The Giant Company and Stop & Shop.

In June, DoorDash disclosed that it will run a rapid delivery service in conjunction with Canadian supermarket chain Loblaw using dark stores in several cities in Canada. The new service, which is similar to the DashMart online convenience store DoorDash rolled out in mid-2020, will offer 30-minute delivery of a limited assortment of goods.