Walgreens brings on-demand delivery to New York City

Walgreens customers in two New York City boroughs no longer have to leave home.

The drugstore retailer is partnering with on-demand delivery platform Postmates to deliver hundreds of its most popular items from 174 Walgreens and Duane Reade locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. To order items from participating Walgreens stores, customers can visit Postmates.com or use the Postmates mobile app.

The partnership is launching as Postmates has found that its customers are seeking many products sold at Walgreens. According to Postmates, the top items New Yorkers order are Smart Water, Gatorade, San Pellegrino, Tylenol, and Pedialyte. In addition, during the 2018-2019 flu season, Postmates saw a 173% increase in orders for cough relief items, a 111% increase in sinus relief aids, and a 50% spike in soup orders.

"We share Postmates' commitment to providing customers with convenient, differentiated shopping experiences, and together we can help ensure our customers are getting what they need, when they need it," said Joe Hartsig, chief merchandising officer, Walgreens. "Particularly as we head into the peak season for flu, being able to bring our customers convenience items as well as cough and cold relief directly to their home can take the stress out of being sick."

As of Aug. 31, 2018, Walgreens operates 9,560 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with its omnichannel business, Walgreens.com.