Walmart, GNC ramp up food delivery services

Food delivery services－from meal kits to online grocery and restaurant delivery—saw widespread adoption in recent years, propelled largely by dining and shopping restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, many households continue to enjoy the convenience of online food delivery, a segment expected to reach a whopping $96 billion in revenue by 2026, per Statista. 

Businesses are taking note and gearing up to capture growing demand. These include Walmart, which will double its InHome grocery delivery service in 2022, and GNC, which is launching its meal delivery platform nationwide.  

Walmart’s InHome will serve several new markets in 2022, including Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Dallas, Austin, San Jose and San Francisco, to nearly double its footprint. Whitney Pegden, InHome vice president and general manager, said in a press release that the company will reach more than 30 million households by the end of the year with the expansion.  

InHome, which is now available as an option within Walmart+, the store’s membership program that offers free delivery, fuel discounts and other incentives, is a grocery delivery service that gives customers the option to have their groceries delivered to their fridge. The service is positioned to provide extra convenience and flexibility to busy families, as well as to provide greater service to people with mobility issues who may not be able to get groceries that are delivered to their door to the fridge or pantry.  

The company, which saw e-commerce sales growth of nearly 40% over the last two years, also announced plans to increase its delivery slot capacity by 35% in 2022 to meet demands of growth and expansion. 

Meal delivery services are also seeing continued support from consumers. GNC in 2021 partnered with RealEats, a weekly meal delivery service, to offer the meal service in pilot markets including Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Florida, Texas and New York. Now, the service will be available in all U.S. markets, excluding Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.  

GNC offers RealEats' meal bundles that include options to meet the needs of the growing number of consumers who follow specific eating patterns, such as meat-free or lower calorie offerings. The meals are designed to be user friendly and are created with food from local, independent farms.  

"From the beginning, our vision for RealEats was to offer personalized meals that allow consumers to make healthy choices," Dan Wise, Real Eats founder and CEO, said in a press release. "Our meals are simple and convenient and include nutritious breakfasts, dinners, proteins and sides that are delivered directly and cooked quickly.”