Instacart Launches Miami's First On-Demand Grocery Delivery Service; Company to Make Deliveries by Boat on May 19

MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - May 19, 2015) - Instacart (www.Instacart.com), the fast-growing grocery delivery service whose Personal Shoppers hand pick and deliver items from trusted local stores, announced today that it has expanded to Miami, its 16^th city. Beginning today, customers can order from Whole Foods Market, Costco, Winn-Dixie, BJ'S Wholesale Club and Petco stores and have everything delivered by Instacart in as little as one hour. Instacart customers do not need a Costco or BJ's membership to shop from those stores.

"We had thousands of requests for service in the Miami area, and strong interest from retail partners such as Whole Foods Market and Winn-Dixie, so the time was right," said Apoorva Mehta, founder and CEO of Instacart. "We're thrilled to bring the first on-demand grocery delivery service to Miami."

To celebrate the Miami launch, deliveries for Instacart orders will be done in style on a Boatsetter chartered boat on May 19. Customers who are out on a boat or have a dock within Instacart's Miami delivery zone could receive their groceries by transport via water! Any customers who place an order on launch day will get a full month of free deliveries through Instacart Express with code: MIAFRIENDS.

Originally launched in San Francisco and since expanded into many other cities, Instacart has disrupted the traditional grocery delivery space by connecting customers with Personal Shoppers, independent contractors who shop for and deliver grocery orders providing their own transportation in as little as one hour. This eliminates the need for costly infrastructure such as inventory, warehouses, trucks and full-time drivers. In January 2015, Instacart was named "America's Most Promising Company" by Forbes magazine.

Whole Foods Market was one of the first national grocery chains to partner with Instacart for delivery, and has seen average weekly sales through Instacart grow to over $1.5 million. "Instacart has already proven itself as a strong partner for Whole Foods Market in 15 other cities, and we're very excited to now offer our Miami customers this great shopping and delivery experience," said Juan Nunez, president, Florida Region for Whole Foods Market. "Whole Foods Market shoppers will now be able to conveniently purchase our high quality products online or through the mobile app and have them delivered directly to a home or office address in as little as an hour."

Petco recently expanded its Instacart delivery partnership after a successful trial in San Francisco and Boston. "Customer feedback to this important piece of our omni-channel offering has been positive and we're pleased to extend the convenient service to pet parents in Miami," said Brad Weston, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Petco.

Instacart's initial delivery area in Miami covers most of the metro area including: Miami Beach, Downtown, Brickell, The Roads, Coconut Grove, West Flagler, Little Havana, West Miami, Coral Way, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Miami airport area, Virginia Gardens, Grapeland Heights, Allapattah, Civic Center, Wynwood, Midtown/Edgewater, Buena Vista, Liberty City, Brownsville and Little Haiti. For a full map, visit www.Instacart.com/locations/miami.

New customers can open an account at www.Instacart.com, and get free delivery on their first order of $10 or more. Instacart also offers Instacart Express -- an annual membership that eliminates delivery fees for all orders of $35 or more. The cost is just $99 per year. 

About Instacart
Instacart allows people to order groceries online by connecting them with a Personal Shopper who handpicks items at customers' local, favorite stores and delivers straight to their doors. Founded in San Francisco in 2012, Instacart has quickly scaled to 16 cities across the US and partnered with more than 60 grocery retailers, including popular national chains (Whole Foods Market, Costco, Petco) as well as local, regional grocers (Fairway Market, Bi-Rite, Plum Market). By combining a personal touch with cutting-edge technology, Instacart offers customers a simple solution to save time and eat fresh food from the grocery brands they trust. Instacart is the only grocery service that can meet today's on-demand lifestyle by delivering in as little as one hour. First delivery is free at www.Instacart.com.