Online grocer Peapod and Stop & Shop, a New England-based
supermarket chain, Tuesday began offering online shopping and delivery
service in southern Connecticut.
Royal Ahold, an international food provider, has ties to both firms. Stop & Shop is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Ahold . In April, the Dutch-based food provider helped to keep
financially troubled Peapod afloat with a $73 million investment.
“With Ahold’s strong East Coast presence, and Peapod’s established
operations in Boston and Long Island, the Connecticut market is a great
strategic fit as we continue to focus on expanding along the Eastern
seaboard,” said Marc van Gelder, Peapod’s president and chief executive
officer.
The Peapod by Stop & Shop service offers consumers a convenient way
to shop. Orders are filled from a dedicated, fast-pick fulfillment
center in Norwalk, Conn., adjoined to a Super Stop & Shop location. The
fulfillment
center offers a wide variety of private label and national brands.
Peapod’s just-in-time, flow-through process guarantees customers
the freshest products available. Peapod will deploy its
order fulfillment technology and proprietary transportation routing system,
which helps it achieve accuracy and efficiency in picking, packing and
delivering grocery orders in its current markets.
The online shopping and delivery service is available in Norwalk and New
Canaan and will become available in most of southern Connecticut in early
July. Customers select the delivery time that is most convenient
for them and can have groceries delivered as soon as the next day.
Royal Ahold reports annualized sales approaching $50 billion,
operating more than 7,000 stores across the United
States, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co.,
which reported $6.7 billion in sales last year, operates 204 stores in
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.