Shipt expanding in Michigan, Indiana through partnership with Meijer

Posted on March 9, 2017

Birmingham-based grocery delivery app Shipt is expanding its partnership with Meijer to stores across its six-state footprint.

Shipt John Hand

Tech company Shipt put up a sign on the side of the John Hand building. (File/John Hammontree)

The expansion will start in Grand Rapids, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, and will eventually expand in other major markets in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Shipt said the initial expansion will bring the company’s reach to 5.5 million households in Michigan and Indiana. Meijer has about 230 stores.

Shipt first partnered with Meijer in September when it launched in the Detroit area.

“We are excited to partner with a leader in the retail industry who continues to put the customer first,” Shipt Founder and CEO Bill Smith said in a press release.

Shipt currently delivers in 35 cities across the country with offices in Birmingham and San Francisco.

The initial expansion will launch on March 29 in Grand Rapids, with Fort Wayne and Indianapolis to follow in April.

Shipt operates sort of like Uber does, but for groceries. Customers pay a membership fee, whether monthly or annually, and open the Shipt app. They select their groceries – orders are free with membership if they’re over $35 – and independent contractors choose to accept or reject the order. They’re trained in produce selection and will contact the customer if the store is out of an item on their list, then they deliver the bags to the customer. Customers can get their groceries as soon as an hour after the order is placed, or they can schedule it for within an hour at some later time in the day.

Shipt launched as a same-day delivery company for retailers including Target, Best Buy and Home Depot. The company launched the grocery delivery portion in 2015 and no longer offers deliveries for other retailers.