Meijer rolls out delivery of general merchandise

Meijer rolls out delivery of general merchandise

A Shipt worker fills a delivery customer's order. Courtesy Meijer

Meijer is challenging online retailers by adding general merchandise to its delivery system.

In gearing up for the holiday season, Walker-based Meijer said this week it is making thousands of general merchandise items available for delivery through its partner Shipt. The retailer already delivers grocery items through Shipt.

General merchandise items include Christmas decorations, TVs, toys and more.

"We've had tremendous success delivering groceries to our customers across the Midwest, so we are very pleased to offer them the convenience of having their holiday gifts delivered to their doorstep as well," said Rick Keyes, president and CEO, Meijer.

Meijer launched its delivery system in Detroit last September and has since expanded the service to more than 200 stores. The service is available to more than 10 million households in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

The retailer said customers can choose delivery times that are the "most convenient for them," because its stores are open 24 hours a day.

The National Retail Federation expects retail sales in November and December — excluding automobiles, gasoline and restaurants — to increase as much as four percent, or $682 billion, compared to $655.8 billion last year, according to Meijer.