Walmart subsidiary, Jet, has launched a new initiative to bring same-day delivery of fresh seafood to customers in New York City, New York, U.S.A. – one the company said it is looking to eventually expand nationwide.
Jet announced Thursday, 14 February, that it will start delivering fresh seafood via a partnership with FultonFishMarket.com. It is the only major online retailer to provide same-day delivery of fresh seafood from Fulton Fish Market, which is the largest fish market in the country, Andrew Crown, head of third-party marketplace relationships for FultonFishMarket.com, told SeafoodSource.
“Assuming this goes as well as we all think it will, we would intend on expanding nationally with them,” Crown said.
For now, FultonFishMarket.com is supplying 24 different fresh SKUs to Jet’s New York City customers as part of the online retailer’s Jet City Grocery program, launched last fall.
“As we continue to grow the Jet City Grocery experience, with a focus on fresh products, the Fulton Fish Market is the best partner we could bring on to deliver high-quality, fresh seafood to our shoppers,” Jet President Simon Belsham said in a statement to SeafoodSource.
Jet opened a fulfillment center last fall in the Bronx, New York, last year to offer three-hour same-day and next day deliveries in New York City as part of its Jet City Grocery experience.
“In the current marketplace, standard procedure is to freeze seafood for delivery to the warehouse and then defrost it before being delivered to the customer. With seafood from FultonFishMarket.com, Jet will now be able to provide customers with truly fresh, never frozen, sustainably-sourced seafood,” Alyssa Ciambriello, a spokesperson for Jet, told SeafoodSource.
Jet’s initial offerings will include Fulton Prime fresh Faroe Islands salmon, bronzini, wild Chilean sea bass, tilapia, lobster tails, and wild yellowfin tuna. The selection will ramp up to 30 different SKUs in the next few weeks, according to Crown. Jet also offers frozen seafood from brands such as Pier Fish Co, Fishpeople, and Blue Hill Bay. Its Jet City Grocery program puts a special focus supporting local and small businesses in New York, including Big Gay Ice Cream, Just Bagels, and Pat LaFrieda meats.
“The fresh product side of Jet City Grocery is a new initiative for them, and we are excited to be a part of it, FultonFishMarket.com already ships next day deliveries of fresh seafood to business-to-business customers such as restaurants nationwide, and ships two-day deliveries to consumers via FedEx,” Crown said. “We have the capability to do next-day orders, so I think it [Jet deliveries] could be expanded nationwide. Their grocery plan works very well in urban areas. We hope to be right there with them.”
Fresh seafood arrives daily at the Fulton Fish Market between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. and is delivered to the Jet Bronx Fulfillment Center at 8 a.m. Customers who order on Jet before noon can schedule same-day delivery within the 6 to 9 p.m. delivery window.
“FultonFishMarket.com receives its seafood fresh from the docks (domestic comes in within 24 hours of being caught) and we are able to turn it around a wide variety of fish to consumers, including fresh, never-frozen, sustainable product,” Ciambriello said.
In early 2017, FultonFishMarket.com expanded delivery of fresh seafood directly to restaurants and consumers across the United States.
In a statement, Jet said its methods will help customers avoid mislabeling and fraud issues, which were brought to light last year by the New York Attorney General’s office.
“FultonFishMarket.com helps solve the issue of mislabeled fish by only buying whole fish as opposed to filets. This allows each species and origin to be appropriately identified so Jet customers can be assured that they are eating the fish that they ordered,” Jet said in a statement.
Photo courtesy of Fulton Fish Market
