The Delivery Wars: As Food-Delivery Firms Court Smaller Markets, New Hurdles Emerge by Heather Haddon and Julie Jargon
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
The Wall Street Journal reported last Tuesday that food-delivery companies are taking their race for market domination to the far corners of the U.S., and delivery executives say they expect food consumption at home to rise – creating a need to build as wide a network as possible. Grocers and restaurants in college towns and small cities that are home to big companies have been particularly eager to sign with delivery companies.
Mercato merchant, Sam Riehl, the fourth-generation owner of Halteman Family Meats with a store location in the historic Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, was included in the article and explains to the Wall Street Journal that he recently switched to Mercato from Instacart because Mercato is more geared toward independent merchants. He says he found that the bigger companies charged too much for e-commerce and delivery solutions, and didn’t allow him to easily update the items he wanted to list online. Mercato is the official e-commerce provider to Reading Terminal Market and more than 650 other historic farmers markets and independent grocers throughout the U.S. Read more in the Wall Street Journal here. (WSJ subscription required)
Bonnie Shaw
