Kroger Expands Delivery Deal With Instacart

Kroger is broadening its delivery deal with Instacart, gearing up to expand the number of stores where it offers the service.

According to a report in USA Today citing the company, as of Thursday (August 30) the service is available in Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia; Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas as well as other cities and regions. The goal is to have the service in 120 metropolitan markets by October, up from 45 today. It will cover 1,600 stores if the goal is reached, noted the report. Customers will be able to access the service via Kroger’s mobile app. Instacart is also now Kroger’s main delivery service, although it uses Uber and Shipt in some markets, noted the report.

Earlier this month Kroger announced the launch of a delivery service dubbed Kroger Ship that uses third-party carriers. The offering will debut in Houston, Louisville, Nashville and Kroger’s hometown of Cincinnati, Chain Store Age reported at the time. “Kroger Ship is our next step in creating a seamless experience that allows our customers to shop when and how they want,” Chief Digital Officer Yael Cosset said in an announcement. “Our new service is just one more way we are redefining the customer experience as part of Restock Kroger, bringing more convenience and options to shoppers across America.” With the service, consumers can buy 4,500 private-label products from the retailer, which are not otherwise available online, along with 50,000 different grocery items and household products. The choices were informed by data from Kroger’s 84.51° customer insights division. As the service rolls out, Kroger is offering customers a discount with a one-time promo code.

The news comes as Kroger announced that it is partnering with tech company Nuro for the pilot of an on-road, fully autonomous delivery service for customers. Through the partnership between America’s largest supermarket retailer and the maker of the world’s first fully unmanned road vehicle, customers can place same-day delivery orders through Kroger’s ClickList ordering system and Nuro’s app. During the test, orders will be delivered by Nuro’s fleet of autonomous vehicles.