When Amazon acquired Whole Foods as part of its attack on the supermarket industry, it looked like a crushing blow for grocery-delivery startups like Shipt and Instacart.
If consumers could get their food from Amazon, why would they need a separate delivery service? But rather than make the startups obsolete, the Whole Foods deal helped raise their profile.
Grocery chains across the US have enlisted the two companies to help them set up delivery operations, viewing them as key allies in the defence against Amazon.
