Meijer teams with Uber for home delivery

Midwest supermarket operator Meijer Inc. is expanding its home delivery options by partnering with Uber Technologies Inc. to offer the Uber Eats on-demand and scheduled grocery delivery service to its stores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

Beginning this week and continuing through the winter, customers can shop online at about 250 Meijer locations via the Uber and Uber Eats apps and schedule delivery. Uber also is including Meijer in its Holiday Shop, which will allow customers to order a variety of holiday-themed items on the Uber Eats app that the retailer highlights as being convenient for the holidays.

"Meijer is known for freshness—fresh food, fresh thinking and a focus on innovation makes them a natural partner for Uber," said Christian Freese, Uber head of grocery and new verticals across the U.S. and Canada, said in a statement. "We're thrilled to be bringing their fresh selection to Uber and Uber Eats across much of the country, and to be working together to deliver must-have groceries to America's doorsteps, just in time for the holidays."

Like other Uber Eats deliveries, Meijer customers will pay a service and delivery fee that are dynamic and based on such factors as the market, time of day and availability of couriers. Shoppers can view the fee at checkout prior to submitting an order. Meijer customers can receive $10 off an order of $40 or more in a promotion that lasts until Dec. 31.

While Meijer and other retailers also offer their own delivery services, Uber said the biggest convenience for Uber Eats users is finding the grocer’s items directly in their Uber Eats app, which offers a familiar interface and requires no additional payments or other transaction steps.

Meijer is just the latest retail chain to leverage Uber Eats for grocery ordering and scheduled delivery. In May, San Francisco-based Uber expanded its partnership with Albertsons Companies Inc. to include more than 2,000 stores nationwide, including such banners as Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Tom Thumb and Randalls. The expansion adds about 800 new Uber Eats-supported locations, including stores for the first time in Connecticut, Indiana, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont and Rhode Island.

In November, Uber also extended its partnership with Emeryville, Calif.-based Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. to offer scheduled grocery delivery from Grocery Outlet locations across New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Along with stores in California, Oregon and Washington, Uber Eats supports delivery from 386 Grocery Outlets locations.

In addition, Uber teamed with SpartanNash Co., a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based distributor, wholesaler and retailer, in November to offer delivery services to nearly 100 company-owned groceries, including such banners as Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market, along with SpartanNash’s network of 2,100 independent grocery retailers. Along with its Uber partnership, SpartanNash in November joined with online food ordering and food delivery platform provider DoorDash Inc. to provide delivery services to the locations.