Kroger, Instacart team on new 30-minute delivery service

In this June 15, 2017, file photo, bagged purchases from the Kroger grocery store in Flowood, Miss., sit inside this shopping cart. Kroger is teaming up with Instacart on a new delivery service that can get grocery items to customers in as few as 30 minutes. The announcement comes at a time when many people are having groceries delivered for convenience and want their items to arrive quickly. Kroger Co. said Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 that the service, called Kroger Delivery Now, will offer 25,000 items and reach up to 50 million homes. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Kroger is teaming up with Instacart on a new delivery service that can get grocery items to customers in as little as 30 minutes.

The announcement comes at a time when many people are having groceries delivered for convenience and want their items to arrive quickly.

Kroger Co. said Tuesday that the service, called Kroger Delivery Now, will offer 25,000 items and reach up to 50 million homes. The company, which has more than 2,700 stores, will offer the service for its namesake stores as well as Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Fry’s, Mariano’s, and Smith’s locations.

Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said in a statement that the grocery chain had more than $10 billion in online sales last year and anticipates doubling its online sales and profitability rate by the end of 2023, with the delivery service helping to achieve that goal.

Kroger and Instacart first partnered in 2017, with two-hour grocery delivery and now 30-minute delivery nationwide. Two years ago they added alcohol delivery to their services.