WASHINGTON — Relay Foods, an online market for sustainable food and everyday groceries, has rolled out a new "Drop Spots" program, allowing D.C. area apartment buildings to provide residents with free concierge grocery delivery. The program offers real estate management groups a cost-free way to help residents avoid the challenges of grocery shopping in D.C. by offering on-site delivery. Drop Spots save residents from the time and stress of travelling to distant grocery stores without overtaxing apartment staff.
"In D.C., we all know that grocery shopping can be rough," said Graham Evans, VP of New Markets and DC City Manager at Relay Foods. "After a long, stressful day, no one wants to fight traffic to get to and from a grocery store or haul shopping bags on the metro. So, we're partnering with forward-thinking apartment buildings to bring fresh, local food and groceries directly to residents."
Launched in 2009 in Charlottesville, VA and serving the D.C. Metro area since summer 2012, Relay Foods provides a comprehensive selection of local foods and grocery essentials to online shoppers and delivers orders to convenient pickup locations or customers' homes. With Drop Spots, Relay Foods and apartment buildings establish a regular delivery schedule to ensure that residents can rely on Relay Foods for their weekly grocery needs. Relay's delivery teams ensure that groceries reach the Drop Spot by 4 pm. Delivery schedules begin at one drop per week and can be increased to multiple days per week according to the needs of residents.
Six D.C. area apartment buildings participated in the pilot program including Archstone 1st+M, a NoMa area complex that was voted "Best Apartment Building 2013" by readers of the Washington City Paper. The building was designed with a grocery delivery room since Avalon Communities, the developers, recognized the need for grocery delivery in many parts of Washington D.C.
"Relay Foods was a perfect fit," said Larry Brown, Community Manager at Archstone 1st+M. "They worked with us to make sure this was a seamless process for residents. We also worked together to make sure this wouldn't overtax our front desk staff, who process thousands of deliveries a week. Relay handles the hard labor, and our staff simply record what was dropped off."
According to Brown, Relay Foods introduced the Drop Spots program with a live cooking demonstration in the building's common kitchen. More than 40 residents enjoyed the chef's seasonal menu. With a designated delivery room containing two industrial fridges, the building staff is able to easily store flowers, perishable deliveries and now weekly groceries delivered by Relay Foods.
"We have a lot of foodies at 1st+M, and our residents are very happy about the program," said Brown. "At our building, I see the younger and older generation come together over food. They cook together at the common grills and share some tips, or they talk about their favorite new restaurants in the common area."
About Relay Foods
Launched in 2009, the Relay Foods marketplace unites more than 100 unique merchants, vendors and stores that partner with the company as an alternative distribution channel to expand the availability of their products. Customers shop online until midnight, and their orders are picked and aggregated overnight for next day pickup (free) from one of dozens of convenient locations or home delivery at a nominal fee. Prices are competitive with traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Learn more at www.relayfoods.com.
Source: Relay Foods
