ALDI LAUNCHES ‘VIRTUAL CONVENIENCE STORE’

Grocery retailer Aldi has rolled out Aldi Express, a new Instacart-powered online presence that it is positioning and promoting as a “virtual convenience store.” Delivery is now available to customers from more than 2,100 Aldi locations across the country in as fast as 30 minutes, it said.

From convenience items such as prepared foods, snacks and drinks to grocery staples and household essentials, Aldi Express gives customers access to nearly 2,000 of the most-shopped Aldi items, said the company. “We know our customers live hectic lives, and sometimes that means they don’t have time to make it to the grocery store—even for a quick trip. Through Aldi Express, we’re making shopping more convenient so you can satisfy a craving or get a missing ingredient in minutes,” said Scott Patton, vice president of national buying at Aldi. “Together with Instacart, we’ll continue to find ways to innovate and make the online grocery experience even more effortless and accessible.”

Ryan Hamburger, vice president of retail at Instacart, said, “We’re proud to deepen our partnership with Aldi through the introduction of Aldi Express. With this launch, we’re making it easier for customers nationwide to get their favourite Aldi staples delivered faster than ever before. We know how important it is to get what you need when you want it—whether it’s a last-minute delivery for a missing dinner ingredient, milk for the baby or simply wanting a late-night snack.”

Batavia, Illinois-based Aldi began offering delivery services via Instacart in 2017. Instacart now delivers from more than 2,200 Aldi stores and powers pickup for more than 1,500 Aldi stores nationwide. The companies expanded their partnership in 2018 to include alcohol delivery, and Aldi was one of the first retailers to accept EBT SNAP online through Instacart in November 2020, it said. Instacart, based in San Francisco, is a grocery technology company that partners with more than 1,200 national, regional and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 80,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace.