Club & Warehouse

Online grocery delivery service Instacart has had to add boats to its fleet of vehicles now that the growing company has decided to launch in Miami.

Customers in Miami can now order from Whole Foods Market, Costco, Winn-Dixie, BJ'S Wholesale Club and Petco stores and have everything delivered by Instacart in as little as one hour. Instacart customers do not need a Costco or BJ's membership to shop from those stores.

San Francisco – Instacart is taking its talents to South Beach. Consumers in Miami can now use the online delivery service to order from Whole Foods Market, Costco, Winn-Dixie, BJ’S Wholesale Club and Petco stores and have everything delivered by Instacart in as little as one hour.

Instacart customers do not need a Costco or BJ’s membership to shop from those stores. Miami is the 16th city where Instacart is offering deliveries.

Costco is trying to increase its membership base in Canada with an innovative social media campaign.

The warehouse club retailer has launched a customer referral program twinned with social media that uses technology from a firm called Buyapowa.

The campaign launched this week in partnership with Proctor & Gamble and will allow Costco members to win $20 of P&G Goods for every friend they refer to Costco to become a member. All successful referrers will be shown on a leaderboard, with additional P&G prizes awarded to those when the promotion ends.

New York -- An early Easter that drew shoppers into stores in March and slowing economic growth helped cut into retailers’ April sales results.

At Costco Wholesale Corp., April same-store sales were flat, slightly below analysts’ estimates, primarily due to the strong U.S. dollar and lower gas prices. Sales at U.S. stores increased 2% for the four weeks ended May 3. Internationally, sales fell 4%.  

Total revenue inched up 2% to $8.75 billion.

Sam’s Club is celebrating National Small Business Week in a very big way.

The retailer is launching the Small Business Economic Mobility initiative (SBEM), a five-year investment in small business growth through increased access to capital and borrower education, with grants totaling $13.6 million to eight national nonprofits.

Sam’s Club is toasting the grand opening of its newest club in Oklahoma with thousands of dollars in community grants and special appearances by politicians and celebrities.

The new Sam’s Club at 1705 S. Broadway Ave. in Moore, Okla., opens May 7 following an 8 a.m. grand opening ceremony. The company says the grand opening celebration will focus on the company’s commitment to the local community. “We’re so happy to be part of the community and look forward to giving back whenever we can,” said Club Manager Farrokh Moinian.

Sam’s Club’s MasterCard 5-3-1 Cash Back program, which has created keen customer engagement and memorable customer experiences since it launched less than a year ago, has won more awards.

The program, featuring a co-branded MasterCard including chip-enabled technology issued by Synchrony Bank pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated, won a silver award in the Customer Experience & Engagement category; a bronze award in the Creative Campaign category and a silver in the 360 Degree Loyalty Award for Excellence in North America.

Ace Hardware is America’s favorite home improvement store and Costco is the favorite for home furnishings, according to a new survey by Market Force Information.