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Whole Foods, Amazon steam ahead with Prime Now

Online grocery delivery expanded to 10 more markets

Russell Redman

September 26, 2018

3 Min Read
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Whole Foods Market has begun offering same-day grocery delivery through Amazon’s Prime Now service in another 10 cities.

The companies said Wednesday that Whole Foods stores in Detroit and Ann Arbor, Mich.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Milwaukee and Madison, Wis.; Omaha, Neb.; Orlando and Tampa, Fla.; St. Louis; and Tulsa, Okla., are now offering Amazon Prime members home delivery in as soon as an hour via Prime Now.

Now available in 48 cities, Prime Now was rolled out to Whole Foods stores in more areas of New York City and Seattle as well. The latest expansion followed a 10-city launch two weeks ago in Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C.; Las Vegas; Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Seattle; and Tucson, Ariz.

Today also marks the first expansion for Prime Now grocery pickup. Prime members can now pickup online orders at Whole Foods stores in Fort Worth, Texas; Kennesaw, Ga.; and Richmond, Va. The program made its debut early last month in Sacramento, Calif., and Virginia Beach, Va.

“Prime Now delivery continues to be a hit with our customers, and we’re excited to introduce the service in 10 new cities plus more neighborhoods in New York and Seattle,” Christina Minardi, executive vice president of operations at Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods, said in a statement. “And for our customers in Fort Worth, Kennesaw and Richmond, we’re thrilled to also offer the option of grocery pickup. It’s just another way we’re making it even easier for more customers to enjoy Whole Foods Market’s healthy and organic food.”

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Through the Prime Now app or online, Prime members can shop thousands of items in such categories as fresh and organic produce, bakery, dairy, meat, seafood, floral and daily essentials and have them delivered directly to their door or pick them up at a Whole Foods store. Select alcohol products also are available for delivery or pickup in Jacksonville, New York, Omaha, Orlando, Seattle, St. Louis and Tampa, the companies said.

Two-hour delivery is free on orders of $35 or more for Prime members, while one-hour delivery costs $7.99. Grocery pickup in an hour is free for members on orders of at least $35 but carries a $4.99 for orders to be ready in 30 minutes. Customers park in a designated pickup spot, and a Prime Now personal shopper puts the groceries into their car.

Seattle-based Amazon, which closed its acquisition of Whole Foods in August 2017, launched Prime Now delivery at the supermarket chain in February and has steadily rolled it out to more large markets.

In a survey released last month, Sense360 — which tracks consumer behavior through mobile tech users — noted that Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods brought it not just a bigger brick-and-mortar presence but also greater access to its best customers.

Whole Foods shoppers are 25% more likely to use Amazon than the “average” person and 50% more likely to be a Prime member, according to Sense360’s “The Impact of Amazon Prime on Whole Foods” study. Amazon Prime members, too, are 27% more likely to visit Whole Foods than non-Amazon customers.

Although Amazon began offering price breaks on select items at Whole Foods stores soon after the acquisition, the availability of Prime discounts at all of the chain’s stores in late June brought member benefits into the spotlight. The Sense360 survey found that 81% of Prime members who haven’t taken advantage of a Whole Foods discount said they would consider doing so.

“As Amazon rolls this out, we can expect to see visits to Whole Foods by Amazon Prime members increase,” Eli Portnoy, CEO of Los Angeles-based Sense360, said in the report.

In addition, 33% of all consumers plan to shop more at Whole Foods, and 50% of Prime members indicated that they plan to increase their visits, the study revealed.

“It’s a competitive advantage that is going to be very, very hard for a pure-play grocer to compete with,” Portnoy added.

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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