Family Fare expands Instacart delivery

Family Fare Supermarkets has rolled out same-day online grocery delivery through Instacart to more locations.

The SpartanNash chain said the service kicked off this week at 13 stores in the Omaha, Neb., area. The expansion comes after Instacart delivery made its debut at three Family Fare stores in Fargo and West Fargo, N.D., late last month.

“Whether our store guests enjoy the convenience of online shopping with Instacart or the experience of visiting our stores, we want to provide them with options that make life a little simpler,” Larry Pierce, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing at SpartanNash, said in a statement. “SpartanNash and our Family Fare Supermarkets are committed to providing a personalized, convenient shopping experience that exceeds expectations, and our partnership with Instacart allows us to do just that for our Omaha community.”

To access the service, Omaha-area Family Fare shoppers go online to delivery.shopfamilyfare.com. They then place their orders — including dry groceries, produce, dairy, meat, frozen and other items — and select a time window for delivery via Instacart, which can be in as soon as an hour. Customers also will have access to in-store promotions.

The participating Family Fare stores include 10 locations in Omaha, one in Bellevue and one in Papillion, Neb., as well as its location in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Family Fare has 83 stores in Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, and North and South Dakota.

SpartanNash first launched home delivery in late November at a D&W Fresh Market store in Grand Rapids, Mich., (serving five ZIP codes) through its Fast Lane online grocery shopping service, which also offers curbside pickup. Personal shoppers and delivery drivers in the Fast Lane program are SpartanNash associates. The company then expanded Fast Lane home delivery to five more Grand Rapids-area stores (serving 24 ZIP codes), including the Family Fare, D&W and Forest Hill Foods banners.

As of late May, 58 SpartanNash supermarkets — under the Family Fare, D&W, Family Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery and Dan’s Supermarket banners — offered Fast Lane curbside pickup in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The service initially launched at a Family Fare store in Grandville, Mich., in July 2017.

“We remain committed to technology and the expansion of Fast Lane, our online ordering and pickup service, as well as other click-and-collect services,” SpartanNash President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Staples told analysts last week in a conference call on first-quarter results. “Online ordering for delivery and curbside pickup are now available over 35% of our retail locations and are expected to reach over 60% of our stores by the end of 2018.

“We will also be testing scan-and-bag technology in certain locations,” he added. “This technology allows customers to use a cell phone app, scan items while they shop the store, significantly improving the checkout experience.”

Overall, Grand Rapids-based distributor SpartanNash operates 142 supermarkets under the Family Fare Supermarkets, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery, Dan’s Supermarket and Family Fresh Market banners.