The foreboding around just what grocery sales will look like in five years time is prompting Loblaw Companies to adopt a home delivery service offered by California-based Instacart. This firm should not be confused with the Canadian company Instabuggy, that delivers groceries and liquor to homes. The plan will begin in Toronto December 8 and in Vancouver in January. The purchase of Whole Foods by Amazon and the decision by Walmart to deliver in some parts of Toronto, are behind the Loblaw move. The competitive edge for a grocery firm ranges across things like price, faster checkout and location. All of these might be less important if a consumer opts for home delivery. So far, most people still like to go the store to see what looks good. In that regard, traditional grocers like Loblaws and Metro are well-located to keep most if not all of the customers they have. On the subject of locations however, Loblaws says it has finally decided on the closure of 22 poor performing stores from across its range of outlet brands. It has not made the locations public.
