Shoppers Drug Mart goes national with Instacart grocery delivery

Following up a launch in Ontario early this summer, Loblaw Cos.’ Shoppers Drug Mart has rolled out Instacart delivery service across Canada.

The companies said yesterday that same-day delivery of groceries, daily staples and over-the-counter medicines via Instacart is now available in another 299 Shoppers Drug Mart stores.

Toronto-based Shoppers Drug Mart said the latest Instacart launch includes locations in Halifax, Nova Scotia (11 stores); Regina (five) and Saskatoon (three), Saskatchewan; Calgary (13) and Edmonton (14), Alberta; Moncton, New Brunswick (three); Vancouver, British Columbia (37); Winnipeg, Manitoba (eight); and St. John’s, Newfoundland/Labrador (four), among other areas.

“For decades, Shoppers Drug Mart has been a destination for health and beauty products, food staples and general convenient shopping to help make life a little bit easier,” Matt Carr, vice president of merchandising at Shoppers Drug Mart, said in a statement. “Working with Instacart allows us to serve our customers wherever they need us, whether that’s in a store or delivered right to their door.”

Instacart service made its debut at Shoppers Drug Mart in June at about 60 stores in Ontario, covering more than 30 communities across the province, including Toronto, Ottawa, Waterloo, Cambridge, Hamilton and London. Plans call for Mississauga, Ontario-based Loblaw and Instacart to bring same-day delivery to more Shoppers Drug Mart stores through the end of this year. The drug chain operates 1,338 stores under the Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix across the country.

Related:Loblaw gets Q2 lift from Shoppers Drug Mart

Currently, Instacart home delivery is offered at 361 Shoppers Drug Mart stores overall, as well as at 374 Loblaw food and drug stores across Canada. Loblaw announced its partnership with Instacart in November 2017 and began delivery from Loblaws, Real and T&T stores in Toronto the next month, which was followed by a launch in the greater Vancouver area in January 2018.

“We’re proud to expand our partnership with Loblaw to deliver groceries, household essentials and over-the-counter medications from Shoppers Drug Mart to customers across Canada in as fast as an hour,” commented Andrew Nodes, vice president of retail accounts for Instacart. “Together, Instacart and Shoppers Drug Mart are helping busy people and families stock their pantries and medicine cabinets with household essentials from a local retailer they love and trust.”

To use the service, Shoppers Drug Mart customers go online to instacart.ca/store/shoppers-drug-mart/ or open the Instacart app on their mobile device. They then select their city and store and add products to their virtual cart. Instacart personal shoppers pick, bag and deliver the items within the designated time window, which can be as soon as one hour or up to five days in advance.

Related:Instacart grocery delivery kicks off at Shoppers Drug Mart

Delivery costs $3.99 for orders of $35 or more. Customers also can sign up for Instacart Express membership for $9.99 per month or an annual fee of $99 and get unlimited delivery on all orders over $35. In support of Shoppers Drug Mart’s Instacart launch, first-time users are being offered $10 off their first order of $35 or more if they enter the code “INSTASDM10” at checkout.

San Francisco-based Instacart now partners with over 300 retailers in North America, providing delivery from more than 20,000 stores in 5,500-plus cities. The service reaches more than 70% of Canadian households and over 80% of U.S. households. Instacart currently has five retail partners in Canada covering over 500 stores, including Walmart Canada, Loblaw (12 retail banners), M&M Food Market, Pusateri’s and Staples.