Uber, Albertsons Companies Expand Partnership to 2,000 Stores

Uber and Albertsons Companies are expanding their partnership to include more stores on Uber Eats, and will now be including 2,000 of the grocer’s stores, according to a Tuesday (May 3) press release from Uber.

Several of Albertsons Companies’ brands, including Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Tom Thumb and Randalls, will be included in the partnership. Per the release, Uber Eats will have access to 800 new locations across Connecticut, Indiana, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont and Rhode Island.

Albertsons’ stores will be more accessible on Uber Eats, too, with customers able to order items for delivery in “express” lanes within the convenience section of the app.

“Together with Albertsons, we’re evolving the ways we can get groceries — and so much more — to people’s doorsteps across the country,” said Oskar Hjertonsson, head of grocery at Uber. “Since launching our U.S. grocery category in 2020 we have seen a huge appetite for easy, fast delivery from trusted retailers, and with this expanded partnership we’re excited to serve more people with even more choice and convenience on Uber Eats.”

Amber Kappa, vice president of business development and innovation, digital at Albertsons Companies, said the goal is “to make it easier for people to get their groceries, so they can focus on the goodness of sharing a meal.”

PYMNTS wrote that Albertsons has recently introduced sensory-driven advertising opportunities for consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands, such as an initiative with Kraft Heinz that adds the smell of cheesecake to designated coolers selling Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

Read more: Albertsons Taps Scent Marketing as Multi-Sensory Experiences Drive Retail Sales

Albertsons seems to be broadening its marketing opportunities as grocery prices are on the rise, looking for new sales opportunities.

The report noted how brands have been exploring scent-based marketing for quite some time, with a 2011 CBS report saying a Brooklyn supermarket saw a 7% increase in produce sales when a grapefruit smell was added to that section.