AUSTIN, TX - The love affair between Whole Foods and Instacart just got a whole lot sweeter. The grocery chain has chosen to both invest in the delivery startup, and sign with it a five-year partnership to exclusively deliver its fresh products, according to news source Recode.net.
Whole Foods and Instacart have been partners since September 2014, with customers collectively saving 970,000 hours in that first 12 months by shopping with Instacart. Fresh produce, the company said, consisted of more than 40 percent of all Whole Foods Market shopping baskets delivered by Instacart. The top five most frequently purchased products over the past year were bananas, avocados, carrots, lemons, and limes.
“Our customers clearly love having this convenient shopping option, and Whole Foods Market will continue to provide our shoppers with innovative new choices that deliver great shopping experiences and help make their lives easier,” said Walter Robb, Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, in a press release.
Analysts believe this move may be in an effort to gain a higher percentage of millennial shoppers, who typically are the main users of the service. This is on top of Whole Foods expansion of its new 365 by Whole Foods Market chain, which is lower-priced for millennial consumption.
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