Instacart Gains Another Grocery Partner In Midwest

Instacart, the grocery delivery service, is adding some local flavor in the Chicago market.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune Wednesday (Aug. 5), the online delivery service is linking up with Pete’s Fresh Market and adding the Chicago institution to its list of partner stores.

The model will extend to Pete’s in which customers use the online platform to send out grocery lists (the Tribune noted that bananas are among the top-selling products in the city), and Instacart’s staff then gets the items and delivers them to consumers’ doorsteps.

The companies said that the service will begin Wednesday and will cover the city, as well as suburbs ranging from Oakbrook Terrace to Westmont.

Instacart’s Chicago presence, which began two years ago, also includes partners such as Whole Foods Market, Plum Market, Mariano’s, Open Produce and Costco, among other shopping venues.

The Tribune reported that Pete’s Fresh Market traces its roots back to the 1970s, beginning as a produce stand on the city’s South Side. These days there are seven locations citywide, mostly dotting the Southwest Side. There are also four suburban locations. A new Pete’s Fresh Market is slated to open in Oak Park next month.

Instacart made headlines earlier this week when the company made its first acquisition, taking on the team of Wedding Party, a move that follows the investment and capital raise process that has funded strong growth. For its first strategic buy, Instacart took on six new hires, including engineering staff of Wedding Party, to help bolster the on-demand platform. Several business publications have noted that the on-demand food delivery market is becoming an increasingly competitive one. A company spokeswoman has signaled Instacart’s intent to keep making deals that will add new staff members focused on technology and metro areas in which the company operates, which now number 16.

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