Walmart Inc said on Thursday it would expand the roll out of its 'unlimited' grocery delivery service to 1,400 stores across the United States, as competition intensifies among retailers to deliver online orders faster.
The retailer's service gives customers the option to pay a yearly $98 fee, or a monthly $12.95 fee, to get grocery orders. The service will be available in more than 1,600 stores in the US and over 50% of the country by the end of the year.
Pilot Project
Walmart began piloting 'unlimited' grocery delivery service in four markets – Houston, Miami, Salt Lake City and Tampa earlier this year, and said it employs more than 45,000 shoppers to run the service.
Customers can avail the service by placing orders through Walmart's website or app.
It can be used for purchasing fresh produce, meat, seafood and bakery items, along with pantry staples, consumables and select general merchandise.
'The Next Step'
Senior vice-president of digital operations at Walmart US, Tom Ward, said, "We’ve been investing in our online grocery business by quickly expanding our grocery pickup and delivery services. Delivery Unlimited is the next step in that journey."
"By pairing our size and scale and these services we’re making Walmart the easiest place to shop. Combine that with the value we can provide, our customers can’t lose."
In June, Target Corp expanded its same-day delivery using Shipt, the membership-based grocery delivery platform it bought in 2017, to its online members, where customers pay an annual fee of $99 or $9.99 per order.
News by Reuters, additional reporting by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
