NEW YORK — The online grocery wars are getting fiercer. Walmart recently said it’s expanding its service that allows customers to order groceries online and pick them up in the parking lot of their local store.
The nation’s largest food retailer said it is adding eight new markets this month to its free curbside grocery pickup service. They include Kansas City, Mo.; Austin, Texas; and Charleston, S.C.
Walmart, based in Bentonville, Ark., has been offering the service in roughly 150 stores in 22 markets. By the end of April, it will offer it in about 200 stores in 30 markets.
The move comes as Walmart aims to further capitalize on its power to combine its brick-and-mortar stores with online shopping. That focus is different from rivals such as and Instacart, which deliver groceries directly to shoppers’ homes.
Walmart says 90 percent of its curbside customers are repeat users and more than 90 percent of its baskets include fresh grocery items.
