Costco to make deliveries in Tampa via Shipt app

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Costco Wholesale is offering its goods through home delivery, making use of third-party service Shipt.

The delivery service said the initial service area will be Tampa, Florida.

Through the Shipt app, the company based in Birmingham, Alabama, said its members will be able to shop, choose a onehour delivery window and pay for their order.

Shipt memberships cost $99 a year, which entitles members to unlimited no-additional-cost deliveries, the company said. said it expects to expand to other U.S. markets in the future.

The new menu is part of a bigger plan by the coffee giant to capitalize on strong lunch sales. Starbucks announced a plan late last year to double food sales to about $5 billion by 2021. Starbucks said its food business has grown by 150 percent in the last four years.

The announcement was made at the onset of Starbucks’ annual meeting in Seattle, led by Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz for his last time in the role of CEO. He is relinquishing the role on April 3 to current Chief Operating Officer Kevin Johnson.