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Target to make more products available via Shipt

Same-day delivery service set for further expansion in 2019

Russell Redman

December 20, 2018

2 Min Read
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Looking ahead to next year, Target Corp. aims to widen the retail scope of its Shipt online delivery subsidiary.

Target said that in 2019 it plans to extend the product assortment available through Shipt to include all major categories. In rolling out the same-day delivery service across the country, the discount store retailer has enabled customers to shop from more than 55,000 groceries, electronics, toys and household essentials.

Bill_Smith_of_Shipt_center_with_Target_s_John_Mulligan_and_Brian_Cornell_1.pngShipt founder Bill Smith (center) with Target COO John Mulligan and CEO Brian Cornell.

So far, the most popular category among shoppers using Shipt has been grocery, Target noted. Among the top 25 most frequently purchased grocery items through Shipt are eggs, milk, bananas, strawberries, avocados, shredded cheese, butter and limes, the company said.

“We’re always looking for ways to make shopping Target’s selection even easier,” Target Chief Operating Officer John Mulligan said in a blog post. “With Shipt, same-day delivery became a reality for our guests across the country, making Target the first retailer to offer the service coast to coast.”

Since acquiring Birmingham, Ala.-based Shipt for $550 million last December, Target has steadily extended the service’s reach through its stores and other retailers, primarily supermarkets. Shipt is now accessible to over 70 million households in more than 200 markets across 46 states. Before the acquisition deal, Shipt was available in 70 markets.

Related:Harris Teeter grows partnership with Shipt

Target also said it achieved its expansion goal following the Shipt purchase: making the service available at most of its stores in all major markets by the 2018 holiday season.

This year, grocery chains that have launched Shipt delivery or expanded availability of the service through their stores include Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods, Rouses Markets, Weis Markets, Lucky’s Market, Greer’s, Hy-Vee, H-E-B, Vons, Safeway, Roche Bros., Gordon Food Service Stores, Morton Williams Supermarket, Smith’s, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, Kroger, Lidl, Dierbergs and Associated Food Stores.

A $99 annual Shipt membership provides free delivery in as soon as an hour on orders of more than $35. Members go online to the Shipt marketplace to browse, search and shop the in-store assortment of products. They also can note preferences, select a one-hour delivery window and pay for their order. Personal shoppers then pick, bag and deliver the orders. Groceries available for delivery run the gamut from fresh produce, meat and other perishables to household goods such as paper towels, cleaning products, pet supplies and baby care.

Related:Target to buy delivery platform Shipt for $550M

Target reported that Shipt has seen its membership triple year over year. The company, launched in 2014, also has hired more than 375 new employees at its Birmingham and San Francisco offices. Plans call for Shipt to expand its Birmingham headquarters, which will add hundreds jobs to the area, Target said.

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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