Rosie Acquired by Instacart, Doubling Down on Technology Solutions for Independently Owned and Locally Operated Grocers

SAN FRANCISCO – September 7, 2022 – Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, today announced it has acquired Rosie, the premier e-commerce platform for local and independent retailers and wholesalers. With this acquisition, Instacart is deepening its commitment to serving local and independent grocers and expanding its Instacart Platform e-commerce offerings.

Founded in 2013, the Rosie team has spent nearly a decade building relationships and supporting local and independent retailers like Rosauers Supermarkets, Lee’s Marketplace, Niemann Foods, Inc., and Geissler’s Supermarkets across more than 40 states. Rosie offers independent grocers affordable and easy-to-use branded e-commerce websites and mobile app capabilities that power order flow, fulfillment, and customer insights. Rosie’s product features include shoppable weekly ads, store loyalty and rewards programs integrations, third-party fulfillment logistics integrations, payment processing and more – all developed for local and independent grocers. Rosie’s turnkey e-commerce solutions get grocers online quickly and efficiently, helping customers easily find and discover local stores. 

The locally focused e-commerce company got its start in Central New York. Support from CenterState CEO’s long-standing seed funding program, Grants for Growth, made it possible for Rosie to develop new technology, operational procedures and systems to manage food security, access and nutrition issues on a national scale for the SNAP EBT program. The program’s investments enabled the company to become the leading technology partner for independent grocers participating in the USDA Food Nutrition and Service SNAP online pilot program. The pilot began in 2019 with eight states.

Rosie was also the winner of CenterState CEO’s Startup Labs Syracuse business competition in 2013. The program provided seed capital, mentorship and technical support to help startups validate their team and business model to later stage investors, with a goal of helping early stage startups succeed and accelerate their growth with capital and support from influencers.

Today, Rosie is the preferred e-commerce partner for the nation’s leading wholesalers. In 2022, Rosie is on pace to launch over 100 retailers with hundreds of store locations around the United States with online SNAP programs.

With the acquisition of Rosie, Instacart is introducing new e-commerce solutions built specifically for local and independent retailers that complement the company’s existing Instacart Platform offerings. Through the Instacart Platform, Instacart is further enabling grocers to chart their own digital transformation through a suite of enterprise-grade technologies. With Instacart Platform, Instacart gives retailers access to the solutions behind Instacart’s consumer marketplace, helping retailers like Schnucks, Tops Friendly Markets, and The Fresh Market create new online and in-store solutions that enhance the customer experience and help their businesses grow. 

“Our focus is on creating technology solutions that are tailor-made to meet the online and in-store needs of all grocers – whether they’re national chains or independently owned and operated,” said Chris Rogers, Chief Business Officer at Instacart. “Local and independent grocers are so important to the grocery ecosystem. They have loyal customers, create meaningful job opportunities and serve as cornerstones of their communities. The Rosie team understands these grocers better than anyone, and that’s why we’re proud to welcome them to Instacart. Together, we’ll build more technologies that help independent grocers accelerate their pace of innovation so they can continue to compete, grow, and serve their customers however they choose to shop.”

Adding Rosie’s offerings to the Instacart Platform gives more retailers access to tools and technologies that can lead to growth in their businesses and deeper engagement with their customers – all while retaining their unique store experience and brand identity. Through this acquisition, Rosie customers will have the opportunity to utilize Instacart’s in-store offerings like Foodstorm’s order management system and Caper’s smart cart and checkout technology, the Instacart shopper network to help support new picking and fulfillment options, Carrot Ads and loyalty programs to increase customer engagement and affordability, and more. 

“For nearly a decade, our team has lived, breathed, and devoted ourselves to the success of local independent grocers and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished together,” said Nick Nickitas, Founder and CEO of Rosie. “Instacart’s mission of powering the future of grocery is closely aligned with our own, and I’m confident that combining our teams and technologies is the way to best continue serving these important retailers. Together, we will continue to innovate and build easy to use and affordable digital solutions that help our retailer, wholesaler, and brand partners thrive and better meet the needs of their customers.”

“For nearly 90 years, Rosauers has served communities throughout the Pacific Northwest and we strive to give our guests as many avenues to shop our stores as possible,” said Cliff Rigsbee, President and CEO of Rosauers. “With the help of Rosie, we have an award-winning in-store experience and a highly customized branded online shopping experience that enables everything from EBT-SNAP payment processing to digital merchandising. Instacart and Rosie together will be a winning combination for our business and customers.”

“As a local grocer our roots began with delivering groceries almost 100 years ago. Now, in our 4th generation of family ownership, we continue that same tradition through our partnership with Rosie. Helping our communities grow, and nourishing them with the best in local and fresh products, wouldn’t be possible without the robust platform Rosie provides,” said Robert Rybick, President and CEO of Geissler’s Supermarket. “We have always pushed Rosie to meet or exceed our in-store experience online, and with a combined Rosie and Instacart we are excited for the new possibilities that will further allow us to bring the best local and fresh products to our customers and communities.”

Jason Sokol, Vice President of Marketing at Associated Foods Stores shared, “For over 8 years, I’ve experienced all that Rosie has to offer, from shopping on the platform and promoting it as a marketer, to operating it as a retailer and recommending it to other independent stores as a wholesaler. I’m excited about the possibilities that Instacart and Rosie can deliver together – their combined software platforms, extensive support capabilities, and deep relationships will help all independently owned retailers across the country compete and win.” 

Moving forward, the Rosie team will lead Instacart’s business strategy and technology development for local independent grocers, as Instacart continues to build best-in-class e-commerce and fulfillment solutions for this critical segment of the grocery industry. 

About Instacart

Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 900 national, regional, and local retail brands to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 75,000 stores across more than 13,000 cities in North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart makes it possible for millions of busy people and families to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and for more than 600,000 Instacart shoppers to earn by picking, packing and delivering orders for customers on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers retailers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power their e-commerce experiences, fulfill orders, digitize brick-and-mortar stores, provide advertising services, and glean insights. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – from category leaders to emerging brands – partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online, right at the point of purchase. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com. For anyone interested in becoming an Instacart shopper, visit https://shoppers.instacart.com/.