Walmart, Instacart partner for same-day delivery in 4 US markets
Instacart says partnership will give customers access to items ranging from groceries, alcohol, pantry staples, and home decor
Walmart and Instacart have joined forces to offer same-day delivery in four U.S. markets, the latest play by a major grocery chain to partner with the delivery service.
Walmart will be available through Instacart in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego as well as Tulsa, Oklahoma as part of its initial launch, which begins on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Instacart told FOX Business.
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(Walmart/ Instacart)
The move helps Walmart, which is locked in an arms race with Amazon and others to expand fresh-food delivery, to further tap into one of the fastest-growing e-commerce sectors, one that has become even more vital during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Customers love the value we bring with pickup and delivery," a Walmart spokesperson told FOX Business in an emailed statement. "They’ve turned to us during the pandemic to bring them their goods safely and easily."
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Instacart says the partnership will give customers access to items ranging from groceries, alcohol, pantry staples, and home decor "in as fast as an hour."
Currently, Amazon.com offers free two-hour delivery of Whole Foods Market items with a Prime membership. Amazon is the parent company of Whole Foods.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMT | WALMART INC. | 92.64 | +0.14 | +0.15% |
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 210.71 | +2.82 | +1.36% |
Earlier this year, Walmart accelerated the development of its Expres Delivery service, offering items from the store to customers in less than two hours. However, the company continues to delay its new subscription service, Walmart+, which is said to be a competitor with Amazon Prime.
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Since the beginning of March, Instacart has launched or expanded with more than 100 retailers while introducing more than 5,500 new stores to its marketplace. The company's retail partners include Albertsons, Aldi, Costco, Kroger, Loblaw, Publix, Sam's Club, Sprouts, Walmart Canada and Wegmans.
To date, Instacart already partners with 400 national, regional and local retailers across North America to deliver from more than 30,000 stores.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.