Gopuff to Open Fulfillment Store to Consumers

Gopuff will be opening an omnichannel store in San Francisco to manage both in-store and online orders, Grocery Dive reported.

An application Gopuff filed with the city outlines that there will be a modified dark store, in which in-store shoppers can use digital terminals to order beverages and any number of items, from ice cream to diapers. Then workers will pick the orders from a product storage area that also works with the online orders and bring them to the customer, according to the report.

A company spokesperson Gopuff plans to offer more retail stores as well, per the report.

The proposed store model will entail getting rid of the self-service format that grocery and convenience stores usually have, the report stated. Instead, it will have a “product stock area” that dark stores use, in which workers fulfill both online and in-person orders.

And there will be a “retail sales area,” according to the report, letting shoppers use kiosks to browse the company’s items for sale and place orders.

The store will be 12,000 square feet in size, and it will be open daily. Delivery will be available 24 hours a day, the report stated.

Gopuff will also try to have no more than five workers in the store at a time, with staff being responsible for both assembling orders and providing customer service to in-store shoppers, according to the report.

The company didn’t say whether the San Francisco model was being deployed at other stores, although the Grocery Dive report said the company has indicated it will use this model again.

Earlier in September, Gopuff planned to open a physical location in Silicon Valley, as well as other locations in Florida and Texas.

Read more: Philly’s Delivery Startup Gopuff Gets Physical

Gopuff also acquired BevMo, an alcoholic beverage specialty store, in December, as well as several Liquor Barn stores earlier this year.