Food Lion, Instacart expand partnership

Food Lion on Wednesday said it would double the number of its stores in the Charlotte, N.C., area offering Internet shopping and home delivery through Instacart, indicating a trial of the service begun earlier this year was successful.

"Food Lion is extremely pleased with the speedy delivery service Instacart has consistently offered our customers since its launch in May," Keith Nicks, VP of customer engagement at Food Lion, said in a statement. "As we work to expand our home delivery footprint, we're excited more of our customers will be able to enjoy the convenience of fresh and affordable groceries at their doorstep."

The expansion includes six additional ZIP codes in the Charlotte area, more than doubling the size of the May pilot program, officials said. The May launch of Instacart represented the first time Food Lion offered Internet shopping.

Instacart, based in San Francisco, provides software to facilitate ordering and personal shoppers to buy and deliver orders from Food Lion stores.

Food Lion said it was also piloting an Instacart home delivery option in select ZIP codes in the Raleigh, N.C., area. That test began in June. Food Lion said shoppers that link their MVP cards to their Instacart accounts can continue to take advantage of Food Lion's weekly specials and discounts.