Stop & Shop introduces 30-minute express delivery service

A regional Northeast grocer is the latest retailer to enter the ultrafast delivery space.

Stop & Shop is partnering with Instacart to launch Stop & Shop Express. The new Stop & Shop Express offering allows customers to shop for an assortment of more than 30,000 groceries, convenience items, and other household essentials delivered in as fast as 30 minutes.

Although mid-Atlantic grocer Giant recently launched a 30-minute delivery program in partnership with Instacart, Stop & Shop is the first grocery retailer in the Northeast to make this service available with Instacart. Stop & Shop Express is available to shoppers across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey.

The service is available seven days a week and can be utilized as long as Stop & Shop stores are open, as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 12 a.m. Stop & Shop Express carries a $10 minimum and a $2.99 delivery fee. Instacart Express members will receive priority delivery in as fast as 30 minutes for free.

Stop & Shop Express will join Instacart’s Convenience Hub, a new offering designed to streamline the convenience shopping experience for customers. Convenience Hub provides customers access to a range of essentials they need in as fast as 30 minutes. Giant’s new ultrafast delivery service is also provided via Convenience Hub.

Ultrafast delivery services that offer delivery of immediate everyday essentials in as little as 30 or even 15 minutes are popping up. Startups including Gorillas, Gopuff, Buyk, and Jokr all provide ultrafast delivery of online convenience orders.

However, the ultrafast startup model primarily relies upon the delivery platforms fulfilling orders from their own network of dark stores and local fulfillment hubs. It will be interesting to see if other retailers continue to start leveraging Instacart Convenience Hub, or if other major delivery platforms launch their own ultrafast services.

“With Stop & Shop Express, not only will we continue to be there for our customers with our great selection of grocery items, but we can be there for them in as fast as 30 minutes,” said Gordon Reid, president of Stop & Shop. “Our customers’ lives are busier than ever, and this service will help make things easier for them.”

Stop & Shop first partnered with Instacart in 2017 to offer customers same-day delivery. In July 2020, the grocer expanded its availability on Instacart to 321 locations, making same-day, contactless delivery accessible from more than 75% of its stores.

“We’re proud to expand our long-standing partnership with Stop & Shop to provide customers with an unmatched convenience delivery offering,” said Chris Rogers, VP of retail at Instacart. “From a last-minute baking or dinner ingredient to toothpaste and paper goods, we’re thrilled to give customers an easier and faster way to access their convenience shopping needs. As part of our deepened partnership, we’re excited to introduce Stop & Shop Express and continue to provide an online grocery experience that is effortless, accessible and affordable for customers.”

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC is an Ahold Delhaize USA company and operates more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey. Instacart has partnered with more than 600 national, regional and local retailers to deliver from nearly 55,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America.