Hannaford accelerating store pick-up

The Hannaford grocery chain is expanding its online shopping service at a rapid pace and recently hit a significant milestone.



The Maine-based retailer recently opened its 25th location with Hannaford To Go. The service is the first of its kind in many regions. After piloting the program successfully in several stores, Hannaford opened 11 additional locations in the past year. The company plans to pursue an aggressive rollout schedule in 2016 as well, based on the success of the program and its popularity with customers.



"Hannaford will continue to innovate and find new ways to meet our shoppers' needs, as their expectations for online shopping grow," said Mark Bradeen, director of e-commerce at Hannaford. "We are committed to providing services that make shopping easier for our customers."



Hannaford To Go customers can order any product found at their local supermarket on Hannaford.com and pick up those items in as little as four hours. Store associates collect groceries from store shelves and load the orders into the shopper's vehicle, so the customer never has to leave the front seat.



Hannaford developed the online interface and also created a proprietary technology for the selection of groceries in-store that makes the order-collection process efficient, fast and accurate.



"Customers tell us how much they appreciate this service, when we do the grocery shopping for them," Bradeen said. "Hannaford To Go is attracting new customers to our stores and strengthening our relationships with shoppers."



Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 188 stores in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.