Albertsons Buys Meal Kit Company Plated

On Wednesday, Albertsons announced that it had acquired meal kit service Plated. CNBC reports the move represents the first in what figure to be many for the 2,300-store grocer as it looks to fortify its business to compete with the Amazon.com/Whole Foods merged entity.

"This transaction is the latest example of Albertsons meeting our customers wherever and however they like to shop," said Bob Miller, chairman and CEO of Albertsons in a statement. The acquisition will help the grocer compete in the fast-growing meal delivery space.

Total Retail's Take: It was only a matter of time before other grocers started to take steps to combat Amazon's growing influence in the category. Albertsons acquisition of Plated provides it with access to the meal delivery company's valuable technology and data. And the deal makes sense for Plated too, as Albertsons will be able to help defray extensive marketing costs for customer acquisition as well as operational costs to deliver fresh food broadly. Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods this summer sent the grocery sector into upheaval. In many ways, service-based partnerships such as the Albertsons-Plated deal are the future of retail. I'm curious to see what Blue Apron's move will be next.