Albertsons Companies Divisions Chosen for SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot

BOISE, Idaho, Jan. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that Albertsons Companies has been selected to participate in the online purchasing pilot of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in three of its operating divisions in Maryland, Oregon and Washington State.

The two-year pilot is expected to establish the foundation for a program that will eventually extend online grocery purchasing nationwide to 43 million low-income individuals. The company's shop.safeway.com site will be one of seven online grocery retail sites to test and implement it beginning in August 2017. 

"The SNAP Online Purchasing pilot is at the intersection of innovation and community improvement, and Albertsons Companies is honored to have been selected to participate," said Shane Sampson, Chief Marketing & Merchandising Officer for Albertsons Companies. "Enabling SNAP participants to shop online and have their groceries delivered makes fresh foods more accessible to everyone, including those who may not be able to make a weekly trip to the store. We're proud to be part of combatting food insecurity in these communities."

Three of the company's divisions – Seattle, Portland and Eastern – will be involved in the pilot program for shop.safeway.com customers. The company operates 167 Safeway stores in Washington State, 97 Safeway stores in Oregon, and 63 Safeway stores in Maryland. As the pilot progresses, the company will work with the USDA on a timeline to offer SNAP online ordering and delivery service through shop.albertsons.com and the company's other online grocery shopping sites.

Albertsons Companies provides online shopping and home delivery in 12 states and the District of Columbia under the regional banners Safeway, Vons, Albertsons, Tom Thumb, and Randalls. The company expanded home delivery offering to 10 new markets in fiscal 2016, and expects to serve eight of the ten most populous MSAs in 2017 with the additions of Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston which are supported by the Jewel-Osco, Acme, and Shaws banners respectively. 

About Albertsons Companies
Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. The company operates stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 19 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is dedicated to helping people across the country live better lives. In 2015 alone, with the help of generous customers, Albertsons Companies and the Albertsons Companies Foundation gave more than $270 million in food and financial support to the more than 2,300 communities they serve, improving the lives of millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities, and veterans outreach. Albertsons Companies is committed to making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood.

Contact: Christine Wilcox
208-395-4163
[email protected]

SOURCE Albertsons Companies

Related Links

http://www.albertsons.com