Grocery and foodservice delivery are just as strong as ever as consumers continue to rely on these services amidst the return to in-person interactions. The convenience factor hasn’t diminished, it seems, but it is rather thriving—Uber Technologies isn’t easing up on the gas as it announced its on-demand and scheduled grocery delivery is now available to Uber and Uber Eats customers in over 400 cities and towns across the U.S. This expansion is further accelerated as it enters a 1,200-store partnership with Albertsons Companies.
“This past year has been one of incredible growth for grocery delivery,” Raj Beri, Uber’s Global Head of Grocery and New Verticals. “Today, nearly 3 million consumers order groceries and other essentials each month through Uber, and we’re just getting started. By adding thousands of beloved grocers to our selection this year, we are fast-tracking our efforts to help Americans get everything they need from their favorite supermarket, delivered to their doorsteps.”
Albertsons Companies—including banners Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Tom Thumb, Randalls, and more—joins regional leaders like Southeastern Grocers and New York’s Red Apple Group on the Uber platform, available to consumers within the Uber and Uber Eats apps.
According to the release, this partnership expansion marks Uber’s first major grocery expansion in the U.S., more than doubling the availability of the offering this week. The tech platform had first brought up the idea of entering the grocery delivery fray in August 2019. Since launching in July 2020, Uber has seen consistent growth in the U.S. for its grocery category. Not one for resting on the momentum, it has expanded with new partnerships alongside finalizing its Postmates acquisition for $2.65 billion last December for a wider reach.
With this recent expansion, Uber Eats will now be available in major U.S. metro areas, including Miami, Florida; Dallas, Texas; New York City, New York; San Francisco, California; Washington, DC; and Phoenix, Arizona, with more to come throughout 2021. In the U.S. and around the world, Uber is uniquely poised to meet consumers’ growing desire to get the things they need from grocery stores and other merchants in an on-demand fashion within hours—if not minutes—rather than days.
How will Uber and other grocery delivery companies continue to expand their share of the retail space? Keep reading Deli Market News as we report.
