Meijer to offer home delivery

Later this year, central Ohio grocery shoppers will be able to stock up on everything from potatoes to diapers from Meijer without ever leaving their home.

The Michigan-based retailer announced that it is rolling out home delivery after testing it in Detroit last year. Meijer plans to use third-party delivery service Shipt, which currently handles delivery from central Ohio Kroger stores.

There isn’t a clear timetable yet for when central Ohio’s 11 Meijer stores will

get the new service, but the chain said it is expanding the service to Fort Wayne and Indianapolis in April and “will quickly follow with other major markets in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin.”

Meijer already offers online ordering for some of its stores, although just those in the Dayton area in Ohio. Delivery with an established partner is a logical next step, said Chris Boring, a local retail analyst.

“All these buy-online and pick-up-at-the-store services have become a big trend,” Boring said. “And they have been very successful.”

Kroger, Giant Eagle and Wal-Mart offer online ordering with at-store pickup at many of their local stores. Kroger has offered delivery for years in Denver and is testing it in other markets.

Using a third-party delivery service is the right formula, Boring said.

It lowers the investment for Meijer because delivery is probably not big enough for any single store to invest in vehicles and drivers. Delivery might never prove to be a game-changer for grocery stores, but offering it is a nice perk for some shoppers, he added.

“I don’t believe it will ever be a really big thing,” Boring said. “Grocery stores are so convenient. Almost every resident in Franklin County is within 3 miles of a grocery store.”

Shipt doesn’t charge a fee per delivery, but customers must join the service and pay a monthly or annual fee, similar to Amazon’s Prime.

For $99 a year, Shipt offers unlimited deliveries with a $35 minimum order. Shipt shoppers pick orders in stores and can deliver within about an hour. Because Meijer stores are open 24 hours, the chain expects that most stores will offer delivery around the clock.

“The way our customers shop continues to evolve,” Meijer Chairman Hank Meijer said in a press release. “We believe the high-touch service that Shipt offers, coupled with what our customers love about shopping at Meijer, creates a new type of shopping experience.”

Shipt predicted the collaboration with Meijer will create 10,000 jobs in the six states where delivery will roll out this year.