*By Amanda Weston*
Grocery chain Kroger launched a new delivery service Wednesday to compete with industry giants Amazon and Walmart.
[Kroger Ship](https://ship.kroger.com/) offers more than 50,000 products to online shoppers in Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, and Nashville. The chain aims to lure new customers with curated options, free shipping for orders over $35, and discounts.
Online shopping accounts for about 2 percent of the American food-and-beverage market, but it's rapidly expanding.
"When you look at all these new channels in the industry, they are growing extremely, extremely fast," Yael Cosset, Kroger's chief digital officer, said Thursday in an interview with Cheddar.
This isn't Kroger's first attempt at online delivery. The grocery chain has offered delivery service from almost half its 2,800 stories through Instacart.
The new service represents the chain's ambition to make shopping easier for its customers ー and help keep its brick and mortar businesses stable.
"The direct interaction with some of the fresh assortment ー produce, meat, seafood, cheese ー experiential engagement is still very important to them," he said. "They do, however, still want the convenience and simplicity that a digital engagement can offer."
Kroger is going up against Amazon, a formidable competitor, [which sold](https://www.wsj.com/articles/kroger-to-launch-grocery-delivery-service-1533117720) about $650 million worth of food items in the second quarter, up 40 percent from 2017.
As for Kroger Ship's future, Cosset said digital partnerships will also play a major role in growth.
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/kroger-introduces-kroger-ship-delivery-service).
Space Milestone, Booster Debate & Greatest Songs Ever
For the first time ever, the Special Olympics and students at the Parsons School of Design partnered to create tennis and track and field outfits for athletes. The line is called 'Be Brave' and it's goal is all about celebrating athletes with disabilities with outfits that allow them to perform their best. joining us now is Stacey Hengsterman, president and CEO of the Special Olympics New York and Nigel Barker, fashion photographer and Special Olympics Champion Ambassador joined us to talk about the collection.
For the first time in 60 years of human spaceflight, a rocket is poised to blast into orbit with no professional astronauts on board, only four tourists.
Gavin Newsom easily keeps his job, Apple drops the new iPhone and more, Facebook knows how harmful Instagram is for teens and the death of a comedic giant.
Your palm could soon be your ticket into a concert. Amazon says it is bringing its palm-recognition technology to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver and it will be available at other venues in the coming months.
Massachusetts’ governor has activated the state’s National Guard to help with busing students to school as districts across the country struggle to hire enough drivers.
If you want to dine indoors, go to a gym or attend an event at an entertainment venue in New York, you'll need to show proof that you have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
"The business has gone down at least 35 to 40 percent, and we expect it to go down a little more," said Pedro Zamora, owner of Cantina Rooftop in Manhattan. "But on the other hand, I feel good to do that because it's the way to end the pandemic, and I urge everyone if you aren't vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible because it's only for the good of our community."
Carlo's got Cheddar Chief Fashion Critic Baker Machado to discuss all the looks from last night's Met Gala. But first, the news: it's recall day in Cali, the booster shot debate, why you should update your iPhone software immediately, and more.
When is a mandate not a mandate? Jill and Carlo discuss the White House's federal vaccination efforts, a horrific case of mistaken identity in Afghanistan, a history-making U.S. Open and what you missed from the VMAs.
Carlo and Baker have the latest on Biden's sweeping new vaccine policies. Plus, the possibilities of a cancer vaccine in your lifetime, 9/11 reading recommendations, and Love, Hate, Ate.
