Instacart is announcing a major expansion throughout the Chicago area, adding 70 new zip codes to the grocery delivery startup's service area.
Instacart says the expanded service will begin June 15, and it estimates that an additional 310,000 Chicagoland households will have access to its grocery delivery. In addition, the company says the growth will result in an additional 200 jobs, most of which will be contractor/shopper roles. While not technically full-time jobs, a spokeswoman said some workers use the jobs as their primary source of income, while others use it for flexible "gig" work.
The new service areas include suburban St. Charles, Hoffman Estates, Joliet, McHenry, Crystal Lake and Rolling Meadows, among other towns.
“Chicago area residents have really embraced Instacart and we have been working hard to expand our delivery area to include even more homes,” Dave Osborne, Instacart General Manager, said in a statement. “We are excited to announce these 70 new zip codes and look forward to serving even more people in search of the time-saving convenience that the service offers.”
Instacart's current service area covers Wheaton to the West, Mundelein to the North, and Hammond, Indiana to the South.
The expanded service will compete with Chicago-based Peapod, a nearly 30-year-old online grocery company that pioneered the industry. Peapod CMO Carrie Bienkowski told Chicago Inno earlier this year that the suburbs were one advantage that the company had over other grocery delivery upstarts.
"Unlike a lot of our competitors, we’ve cracked the suburbs," Bienkowski said.
Amazon also delivers groceries in select Chicagoland zip codes through AmazonFresh.
The full list of new Instacart cities includes:
North Chicago, Tinley Park, Pingree Grove, Elgin, Hampshire, Burlington, Allens Corners, New Lebanon, Genoa Township, Starks, Gilberts, Huntley, Harmony, Carpentersville, West Dundee, East Dundee, Algonquin, Sleepy Hollow, Barrington Hills, Lake in the Hills, Cary, Crystal Lake, Lakewood, Prairie Grove, Mooseheart, Montgomery, Aurora, Boulder Hill, North Aurora, Eola, Geneva, Batavia, West Chicago, Wenmoth Acres, Nottingham Woods, Hoffman Estates, Barrington Hills, Fox River Grove, Oakwood Hills, Trout Valley, Palatine, Inverness, Rolling Meadows, Deer Park, South Barrington, Lake Barrington, Port Barrington, North Barrington, Tower Lakes, Sutton, Wayne, South Elgin, Bartlett, Campton Hills, Plato Center, Almora Heights, West Highland Acres, Williamsburg, Green, Almora, Wildwood Valley, St. Charles, Wildrose, Valley View, Lily Lake, Knoll Creek West, Posen, Harvey, Markham, Dixmoor, Crestwood, Midlothian, Hazel Crest, East Hazel Crest, Country Club Hills, Orland Park, Orland Hills, Frankfort, Matteson, Frankfort Square, Oak Forest, Lake Villa, Round Lake Beach, Lindenhurst, Old Mill Creek, Fox Lake Hills, Venetian Village, Grandwood Park, Gurnee, Waukegan, Park City, Fox Lake, Volo, Island Lake, Mylith Park, Bull Valley, Ridgefield, Lakemoor, Ingleside Shore, Ingleside, Long Lake, Wauconda, Lake Barrington, Williams Park, McHenry, Round Lake, Woodridge, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, Palos Heights, Lemont, Homer Glen, Mokena, Joliet, Shorewood, Crest Hill, Romeoville and Lockport.
Image via Instacart
