Rite Aid teams with Grubhub for online delivery

Rite Aid Corp. is working to keep pace with increasing shopper interest in online product delivery. The Philadelphia-based drugstore operator is partnering with food ordering and delivering marketplace operator Grubhub to have thousands of its products available for transport to customers’ doorsteps.

Consumers can access product delivery through Grubhub’s Grubhub membership program which offers unlimited $0 delivery fees on orders of $12 or more and exclusive perks from restaurants on Grubhub. The parties indicated that the service will be especially attractive to consumers during the fall and winter cold and flu seasons. Indeed, a recent Grubhub-commissioned nationally representative online consumer survey of 2,414 adults found that 47% of respondents are likely to avoid traveling to the drugstore when they are feeling sick, with 67% saying that they would turn to a delivery service for their over-the-counter medicine and wellness needs. In addition, 39% of respondents said they plan to buy cold or flu medicine in the coming weeks.

"Our partnership with Grubhub is another way that we are offering the convenience and access that our customers want and need to keep them and their families healthy and happy," Dustin Humphreys, Rite Aid senior vice president of digital and e-commerce, noted in a statement. "We also look forward to expanding our reach to Grubhub's loyal customer base and becoming a go-to option for their everyday health and wellness needs."

The venture with Grubhub is Rite Aid’s latest move to enhance its order and delivery operations. Rite Aid last year expanded its partnership with Uber Technologies to offer delivery of Rite Aid products nationwide through Uber Eats. Under the program, customers open the Uber Eats app, tap the convenience or pharmacy icons, select Rite Aid, and begin shopping with access to a full catalog of healthcare and grocery products from their local Rite Aid store. “Consumer shopping preferences are changing, so we are continuing to evolve our retail business to ensure customers are able to conveniently get what they need to keep their family happy and healthy, whether they visit us in-store or buy online,” Jim Peters, Rite Aid chief operating officer, said in a statement during the Uber Eats announcement “We are doubling down on an omnichannel approach that complements the busy lives of our customers. Ensuring convenient access to whole health essentials enables us to live our purpose of helping people achieve whole health for life.” 

The partnership with Rite Aid also expands Grubhub’s efforts in the retail space. "We're excited to partner with Rite Aid to grow Grubhub's drugstore and convenience offerings, making it even easier for customers to get instant access to items that keep them healthy," said Ariella Kurshan, Grubhub senior vice president of growth. "This partnership could not come at a better time as we head into the winter months when delivery becomes an even more important way for people to get what they need to stay nourished and cared for when they can't leave the house." 

Rite Aid operates more than 2,300 retail pharmacies across 17 states.