Amazon is beginning to incorporate Whole Foods into its Prime Now delivery program. Prime Now offers one and two hour delivery options in certain cities. Laura Stevens reports for The Wall Street Journal that Amazon plans to expand its efforts.
The online retail giant will add Whole Foods to its one- and two-hour delivery option, Prime Now, in the grocer’s hometown of Austin, Texas, as well as Dallas, Virginia Beach, Va. and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Stephenie Landry, the Amazon vice president who oversees Prime Now, said it plans to expand the effort, but declined to say how quickly. She noted that Prime Now grew to more than 50 global markets in less than three years following its creation.
Amazon’s latest move is one of the first to potentially take aim at major grocers racing to offer deliveries and pickups to better compete with Amazon, along with rival online delivery services like Instacart Inc., which currently delivers from Whole Foods. Grocer stocks were hit hard by the news of Amazon’s decision to purchase Whole Foods last summer, with six major food retailers losing roughly $12 billion in value after the deal’s announcement.
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