Amazon reportedly plans to expand its grocery delivery business
The company could partner with supermarkets in the US and Europe to offer same-day delivery.
Amazon may soon more directly compete with Instacart. According to The Information, the company has spent much of the last year trialing a product known internally as Amazon Fresh Marketplace. The service allows UK Prime subscribers to order groceries from two major supermarket brands, with same-day delivery fulfilled by the company’s Flex drivers. In 2022, Amazon reportedly plans to bring the service to the US and the majority of Europe.
Amazon declined to comment on the specifics of its plans but did share a statement with Engadget. “Our focus is on providing Amazon customers the best possible experience when it comes to grocery delivery whether that is from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, or one of our local stores like Bartell’s in Seattle, Morrison’s in London, or Monoprix in Paris,” a spokesperson for the company said. “Partnerships with other grocers enable more customers to shop online and allow us to provide Amazon Prime members with more choice, value and convenience while our partners benefit from increased visibility for their selection and service.”
If the service does come to the US, it wouldn’t be Amazon’s first foray into the grocery delivery market. Since 2020, the company has offered a Whole Foods delivery service through its Flex program. The company has also more broadly experimented with food delivery. The most notable example was in 2015 when it launched Amazon Restaurants, allowing Prime members to order food from their favorite local spots. In 2019, Amazon shut down both its Restaurants business and Daily Dish, a workplace lunch delivery service it had operated for two years.
