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FreshDirect kicks off two-hour grocery delivery

Launch of FreshDirect Express joins other service expansions

Russell Redman

June 25, 2020

2 Min Read
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FreshDirect Express is currently available in parts of New York City.FreshDirect

Online grocer FreshDirect has introduced two-hour, on-demand delivery in parts of New York City.

Dubbed FreshDirect Express, the service enables customers in Manhattan, Brooklyn and sections of Queens to order from a curated selection of products and have them delivered to their door within two hours. Time slots are offered in 60-minute windows.

Customers access the Express service through a toggle on the FreshDirect app or the upper left corner of the FreshDirect website, the Bronx, N.Y.-based company said Thursday.

Citing a surge in demand following the coronavirus outbreak, FreshDirect noted that it also has “significantly increased” same-day and next-day delivery time slots across all boroughs of New York City as well as added capacity in the suburban areas of New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York’s Westchester County and Long Island. The e-grocer, too, has expanded summer delivery to the Hamptons (Long Island) and the Jersey Shore, two of the leading summer getaway and vacation destinations in the metropolitan New York area. 

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FreshDirect operates out of its state-of-the-art automated facility in the South Bronx, N.Y.

FreshDirect said it also has been expanding contactless order pickup in high-demand areas, including the Hamptons, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., as well as at its Bronx headquarters. More pickup sites are upcoming. Through the no-fee service, customers can place orders online, choose their desired pickup location and, upon arrival, have their groceries loaded directly into their vehicle’s open trunk or hatch. 

Related:FreshDirect to sell meals from Restaurant Associates

“COVID-19 has changed the way people think about shopping for food and cooking for their families in almost every way imaginable, from the sudden and significant need for grocery delivery to the newfound comfort of homemade meals,” according to FreshDirect CEO David McInerney. “This is truly a time of unprecedented demand, and also of discovery. To address this shift, we have been laser-focused on making the FreshDirect model faster, easier and safer for all. Our team has risen to the task brought on by this significant surge in an extraordinary way, by designing innovative and effective ways to meet our customers’ needs and implementing them in real time.”

Items available for FreshDirect Express delivery include a range of summer seasonal products, such as wild Alaskan salmon, local prime grass-fed steaks, and fruit and vegetables from local farms, along with a wide selection of rosé wines, seasonal beers and spirits.

“We’ve seen a 50% increase in new shoppers converting to loyal customers, and those numbers continue to rise,” McInerney added. “Customers are realizing they can access the best food in the world without a trip to the store.”

Related:Inside FreshDirect’s state-of-the-art campus

FreshDirect delivers directly to customers in selected markets in seven states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.

For our most up-to-date coverage, visit the coronavirus homepage.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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