Grocers needed to find a way to compete with Amazon. Here’s who they turned to

When Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017, the outlook appeared bleak for Instacart. Not only did the grocery delivery startup suddenly have to compete with one of the most sophisticated delivery companies in the world, it also counted Whole Foods as one of its biggest partners at the time. But as the shock of the deal settled, calls started pouring in from grocers who wanted to work with Instacart to gird their businesses against the new threat Amazon posed to them.