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Instacart looks north of the border

Online grocery delivery specialist eyes bigger presence in Canada

Russell Redman

September 25, 2018

2 Min Read
Instacart
Instacart

Instacart is laying the foundation to build up its online grocery delivery business in Canada.

The San Francisco-based company plans to construct a new Toronto technology hub, dubbed Instacart North, and hire 200 more employees over the next few years in the areas of engineering, product, design, and research and development.

Instacart North is slated to open its doors next year. The current Toronto office at Wellington Street West and Portland Street has more than 80 employees, mostly from Instacart’s acquisition of Unata earlier this year. The Canadian startup, which operates as an independent subsidiary, offers grocery retailers an all-in-one e-commerce platform.

 “As a Canadian and alumni of the University of Waterloo engineering school, I’m proud to see Canada — and Toronto, in particular — grow to become one of the most influential tech hubs in North America,” Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta said in a statement. “When I was a student at Waterloo, the perception was that you had to leave Toronto and head to Silicon Valley to make an impact in tech. Today, that’s no longer the case, as Toronto has quickly become one of the hottest tech markets in the world.

“The innovation and talent coming out of Canada are world-class,” Mehta added, “and Instacart is excited to invest in this growing community as we focus on unlocking more value for our customers and delivering them the groceries they want from the local brands they love.”

Related:Walmart Canada teams up with Instacart

Currently, Instacart has two Canadian retail partners: Walmart Canada and Loblaw Cos. Instacart home delivery with Walmart Canada kicked off on Sept. 13 at a dozen stores in the Toronto area and is scheduled to be followed by a pilot of the service at five stores in Winnipeg starting on Sept. 27.

For Walmart Canada, the Instacart pilots mark the first time that Toronto customers had same-day grocery delivery and the first time Winnipeg customers will have access to grocery home delivery.

The partnership with Loblaw began in early December with Instacart delivery from Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore and T&T stores in Toronto. The service then launched in the greater Vancouver area in January. Instacart now provides grocery home delivery for 250-plus Loblaw Cos. stores from British Columbia to Nova Scotia.

Instacart said its service reaches more than 50% of Canadian households and over 70% of U.S. households. The company, with about 600 full-time employees in the U.S. and Canada, works with more than 300 retailers and serves 15,000 stores across more than 4,000 cities in North America.

Related:Loblaw posts Q3 gains, launches Instacart pact

Chief business officer Nilam Ganenthiran told Supermarket News in an interview this spring that Instacart aims to serve more than 80% of households in North America by the end of 2018.

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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