Publix, Instacart to Expand Service Across Southeast

Publix Super Markets and Instacart have revealed a plan to bring same-day grocery delivery to all of the Southeast regional grocer’s customers.

The two companies first joined forces in July 2016 and are now delivering in Florida (Daytona Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Melbourne, Miami, Naples, Orlando, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach); Georgia (Atlanta); South Carolina (Columbia); North Carolina (Charlotte, Durham and Raleigh); and Tennessee (Knoxville and Nashville). As a result, Instacart has created almost 2,800 new jobs in these areas.

“We selected Instacart because we knew their approach and expertise would deliver a high-quality experience for our customers," said Laurie Douglas, SVP and chief information officer at Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix. “The overwhelming response of our customers has proven that Instacart and Publix are a strong and dynamic team. We are excited to take the next steps in building our unique relationship to dramatically grow the service in our markets."

Over the next five months, Publix’s delivery service via Instacart is expected to expand to markets in Alabama (Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery); Florida (Cape Coral, Crestview, Ft. Pierce, Gainesville and Panama City); Georgia (Albany, Augusta, Macon and Savannah); North Carolina (Asheville, High Point, Wilmington and Winston-Salem); South Carolina (Charleston, Greenville, Hilton Head Island, Myrtle Beach and Spartanburg);Tennessee (Chattanooga); and Virginia (Richmond). Publix and Instacart have pledged to bring same-day home delivery from all Publix market areas by 2020.

“Publix has an industry-leading reputation for customer service, operational excellence and caring for its communities,” noted Apoorva Mehta, Founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Instacart. “We are extremely proud of the Publix-Instacart team and the shared success we have seen over the last year. We are excited by the opportunity to bring Publix same-day deliveries to more customers across the Southeast.”

Privately owned and operated by its 187,500 employees, Publix has 1,147 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina.

In other Instacart news, on June 8, the company is launching its delivery service in the Laredo, Texas, area, enabling more than 66,000 households in six ZIP codes to order from H-E-B and other retailers, and is expanding service in Dallas to 60 new ZIP codes in the metroplex, including Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth, Plano, Irving and Richardson, with delivery available from such retailers as Whole Foods Market, Central Market, Natural Grocers, H-E-B, Tom Thumb and Kroger.