The Wall Street Journal reports that Blue Apron “has started selling meal kits at Costco Wholesale Corp. stores” at it seeks a revival of its fortunes after a time when, even though it helped to pioneer the segment, rival meal kit companies superseded it with more niche and popular offerings.
According to the story, “Executives say the kits to make beef stir-fry and chicken tacos that Blue Apron started selling at 17 Costco stores around San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest on Saturday will spur sales and entice people to sign up for subscriptions.”
The Journal writes that “Blue Apron is charging less for the Costco kits than for the meals it ships to customers’ homes through subscriptions. Blue Apron meals are $24.99 at the retailer this week, or about $6.25 a serving. Blue Apron’s subscription meals start at around $8.75 a serving. Officials are in talks with other national and regional grocery chains, and hope to announce other retailer deals later this year.”
According to the story, “Executives say the kits to make beef stir-fry and chicken tacos that Blue Apron started selling at 17 Costco stores around San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest on Saturday will spur sales and entice people to sign up for subscriptions.”
The Journal writes that “Blue Apron is charging less for the Costco kits than for the meals it ships to customers’ homes through subscriptions. Blue Apron meals are $24.99 at the retailer this week, or about $6.25 a serving. Blue Apron’s subscription meals start at around $8.75 a serving. Officials are in talks with other national and regional grocery chains, and hope to announce other retailer deals later this year.”
- KC's View:
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It may not be the easiest sale, since retailers that include Kroger, Albertsons, Walmart, Amazon and Peapod are selling own-brand meal kits that reflect their own brands, not that of a competitive vendor.
Maybe it doesn’t matter because Costco’s business model is different, but why would any retailer want to sell a product that is in its stores as a stalking horse designed to get people to entice people to sign up for subscriptions that they’ll get directly from Blue Apron?
Just asking.
