Dive Brief:
- Food Lion has expanded its same-day delivery with Instacart to more than 300 stores in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The service will be available at these stores starting Wednesday.
- To place orders or confirm availability, customers can use the Food Lion To-Go app or website, or Instacart's platform. Shoppers can get their orders in as little as an hour or plan delivery as far out as two weeks in advance.
- Shoppers can also link their MVP card to use digital coupons and redeem their “Shop & Earn” MVP reward program savings. The service is available seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Dive Insight:
As a result of the latest expansion, more than 500 Food Lion stores now offer same-day delivery via Instacart. The grocer noted that it plans to expand this service to new towns and cities in the future.
Food Lion’s same-day delivery growth is being fueled by the ongoing pandemic, which has led to record e-commerce sales and consumer adoption rates across the grocery industry. The service lets Food Lion get shoppers their groceries in a quick, contactless way and allows the chain to keep up with competitors in its operating areas like Kroger, Harris Teeter, Safeway and Whole Foods.
In the past few years, Food Lion has been investing in omnichannel improvements and expanding its store footprint. In 2019 it entered grocery pickup and launched its Food Lion To-Go program, and earlier this year it acquired 62 stores from Southeastern Grocers. Food Lion has also been steadily remodeling its stores and rationalizing its assortment under its "Fresh, Easy and Affordable" campaign, which has notably improved store sales.
