Dive Brief:
- Stop & Shop has launched a 30-minute delivery service in partnership with Instacart, the Northeastern supermarket chain announced in a press release Tuesday morning.
- The new service, known as Stop & Shop Express, will offer more than 30,000 convenience items to customers in Stop & Shop's five-state region.
- Stop & Shop joins sister Ahold Delhaize banner The Giant Company and Kroger in rolling out a delivery program based on Instacart's new "Convenience Hub," which launched in September.
Dive Insight:
Stop & Shop Express will make a range of goods available to time-pressed delivery customers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey, where the grocer operates more than 400 supermarkets.
Products eligible for the 30-minute service include prepared foods, snacks, beverages, paper goods, cleaner and baby supplies, according to the announcement. The service has a $10 order minimum and a $2.99 delivery fee and will be available during Stop & Shop store hours. Members of Instacart Express, which the e-commerce service launched in May, will not be assessed a delivery charge, Stop & Shop said.
The new partnership between Stop & Shop and Instacart comes on the heels of announcements by The Giant Company and Kroger that those chains would offer delivery in as few as 30 minutes in conjunction with the grocery e-commerce provider.
The grocery chains face robust competition in their quest to establish a foothold in the ultrafast delivery segment, where retailers Gopuff and 7-Eleven are also looking to build a presence.
Stop & Shop has been working with Instacart to offer same-day delivery since 2017 and expanded the arrangement in mid-2020 as customer demand for grocery e-commerce grew amid the disruption caused by the pandemic. Startups like 1520, Gorillas, Jokr and Fridge No More, meanwhile, are offering delivery in as little as 15 minutes, although those companies currently offer service only in limited areas, mostly in New York City.
The latest announcement continues a push by Ahold Delhaize this year to step deeper into e-commerce. In addition to launching 30-minute delivery through two of its U.S. banners over the past month, the Dutch grocer is investing in micro-fulfillment technology and is tapping e-grocer FreshDirect, which it agreed to absorb last November, to improve Stop & Shop's omnichannel operations.
