Just a month after Amazon began to offer Whole Foods grocery deliveries via its Prime Now service in a handful of cities, the company announced today it’s expanding that service to two more key markets, San Francisco and Atlanta. The latter city is especially interesting, given that it’s on Amazon’s shortlist of potential HQ2 picks.
The two new additions join existing markets for Whole Foods/Prime Now deliveries, Austin, Cincinnati, Dallas and Virginia Beach – a list that also includes some HQ2 contenders. Not that you should take any of this as a sign as to where Amazon’s considering building HQ2, of course – but chalk it up to another potential signal, maybe. (After all, there’s evidence pointing towards D.C. and elsewhere, as well.)
As with its debut markets, customers who order from Whole Foods can shop fresh produce, meat and seafood, dairy, bakery items, and other everyday groceries, and receive free two-hour delivery on orders of $35 or more, or opt for one-hour delivery for a $7.99 charge. In San Francisco, Amazon can deliver select alcohol as well, along with the groceries.
Prime Now is available from 8 AM until 10 PM daily, and can be ordered online via primenow.com or via the Prime Now app for iOS and Android.
Amazon has wasted little time in taking advantage of its Whole Foods acquisition to scale up its grocery delivery service, almost immediately lowering prices on Whole Foods items, including deep discounts for Prime customers, and using the brick-and-mortar chain’s real estate for various promotions, like Treasure Truck or holiday pop-ups.
The expansion of Whole Foods deliveries, similarly, seems to be running at a quickened pace, as competition with Walmart – which runs a popular grocery pickup service – looms.
Amazon says it will continue to expand Whole Foods delivery across the U.S. in 2018.
