Jet Expanding Same-, Next-Day Online Grocery Delivery to NYC
Jet.com, the Hoboken, N.J.-based arm of mega-retailer Walmart Inc., is bringing same- and next-day grocery delivery to New York City's boroughs by opening a new fulfillment center in the Bronx.
Opening in the fall, the new center will exclusively house Jet inventory, including groceries, everyday essentials and select merchandise. As one of New York’s own online grocers, Jet will continue to work with local brands through its NY Favorites Shop, which offers an assortment from Big Gay Ice Cream, Roberta’s and The Meatball Shop, among others.
Jet will leverage Parcel to support the last mile of grocery delivery out of the location. Walmart purchased the grocery technology startup, which specializes in same-day and last-mile delivery of perishables and nonperishables to customers in New York, last September.
“The opening of the Bronx fulfillment center marks an important milestone as Jet.com continues building momentum with urban consumers across major metropolitan markets, including New York, to enhance online shopping through a unique assortment, tailored experience and personal service,” Jet said.
The Bronx center is expected to bring hundreds of new jobs to the New York area.
Jet joins several other food retailers that also function as online grocers in the Big Apple and provide fresh products. Here, residents currently rely on such retailers as Peapod, Amazon and the city's own FreshDirect to deliver their groceries to their doorstep.
The new move from the more Millennial-friendly arm of Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart comes four months after the retail giant named Simon Belsham, a veteran of U.K. retailer Tesco and grocery ecommerce company Ocado, Jet’s new president. He reports to Marc Lore, Jet’s cofounder and current president and CEO of Walmart Ecommerce U.S., who assumed his current role following Walmart’s acquisition of Jet in 2016.
Walmart operates more than 11,700 stores under 65 banners in 28 countries and ecommerce websites. The company is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.