Paris Plans Underground Delivery Hubs
Grubhub + Instacart, Starbucks & Amazon post strong quarterly results
With our clocks officially rolled back, it’s time for the next autumnal occasion: quarterly earnings! We’re kicking things off with big results from Starbucks and Amazon; expect updates from Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and friends shortly as well (our Thursday update at The Curbivore should capture those.) Plus, Grubhub and Instacart are teaming up, while Paris has a bold plan to move delivery logistics souterraine.
Today’s edition if brought to you by Curbivore 2026 — Super Early Bird tickets now available.
Today:
Grubhub Gets Groceries from Instacart
Starbucks Returns to Growth
Chart Time | Amazon Investors Ecstatic
Paris Bids Adieu to Parking Garages
3PD | Grubhub Partners with Instacart for Groceries
Grubhub is quickly making up for lost time in its grocery game, launching a new partnership with Instacart. The service launches in the Grubhub app, bringing Instacart’s selection of nearly 100,000 grocers and retailers to the 3PD’s 20 million customers. Users will access the feature through the “Grocery” icon in their GH app; fulfillment and delivery will be handled by Instacart. Grubhub+ members can continue to qualify for fee-free delivery on orders of $25 and up.
The Big Picture: The other 3PD biggies are pushing deeper into groceries as well. Uber Eats expanded its partnership with Kroger: bringing in more stores under the Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Smith’s, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, and Mariano’s banners, while adding Uber Eats-powered restaurant delivery to Kroger’s first party grocery app. DoorDash expanded its deal with Kroger a month prior and is now looking to boost activity thanks to new Thanksgiving-related promos. Grubhub is hoping that by finally matching its main competitors on grocery options, it can restore growth; its share of the U.S. market has fallen to about 5%. A spokesperson said the company expects the new partnership will eventually make up about 10% of overall volume.
EVENTS | Curbivore Returns — Score Limited-Time Super Early Bird Tix
We’re delighted to announce that Curbivore is returning, next April 16th and 17th, to Downtown Los Angeles. We’re building out a curb-centric city within a city, where you can demo the delivery technologies of tomorrow, kick the tires on autonomous vehicle innovations, meet with mobility’s brightest minds, indulge in the street food that’s rewriting the rules for how we think about public spaces and hear from the leaders that are reshaping curbside commerce.
If you’ve been in the past, you know what a special event this is; show your support by scoring a limited-time $195 Super Early Bird ticket. Act fast — ticket prices won’t stay this low for long!
FINANCE | Starbucks’ Same Store Sales Swell
Starbucks reported its quarterly results, ending its oddly-timed fiscal year on a high note: global comparable store sales increased 1%, its first time doing so in seven quarters. Q4 consolidated net revenues climbed 5% to $9.6 billion, while the full year saw consolidated net revenues increase 3% on a constant currency basis to $37.2 billion. On the less happy side, operating margin and income shrunk, while the company’s overall net store count fell by 107 for the quarter.
The Big Picture: Starbucks is still in the midst of its big overhaul, hoping to restore its stores to comfortable places to linger, not merely grab-and-go windows for scalding brews. Only about 1/3 of customers stayed for 10 minutes or longer, down from over 40% two years prior, prompting the company to re-invest in its in-store experience. “Early results from uplifted coffeehouses in New York City and Southern California are already showing promise,” a spokesperson said. “Customers are staying longer, visiting more often, and sharing positive feedback.” On the flip side, delivery has continued to grow by nearly 30% YoY, now representing over $1 billion in sales, with higher AOV than in-store transactions. The coffee giant also notes that improvements to the Starbucks mobile app and rewards program are due in 2026.
CHART TIME | Even More Amazon…
It’s another gangbusters quarter for Amazon, with net sales up 13% to $180.2 billion in the third quarter, and net income improving 38% to $21.2B. CEO Andy Jassy remains bullish on the company’s grocery operations, noting that physical store sales rose 7% in Q3, while online grocery sales have totaled $100 billion plus in the past 12 months. The expectation-beating results sent the stock up 10% in after-hours trading.
INFRASTRUCTURE | Paris Turns to Underground Delivery Hubs
Say au revoir to sewers and catacombs as Paris’ most famous underground infrastructure; the City of Light is now burrowing beneath its famous streets in the name of decongesting delivery. Developer Mont Thabor Group is turning a former parking-garage eight stories beneath the iconic Champs-Elysee into “Atelier Logistique,” to better let high-end retailers offer delivery without congesting local streets. Inventories will be trucked in at night, when foot traffic (and tourism) is reduced, and then sent out for last-mile drop-off as needed. A similar setup, in the hip Marais district, recently opened, led by Parisian logistics giant Sogaris.
The Big Picture: Paris’ Mayor Anne Hidalgo has led a heroic push to return public space to pedestrians and bicyclists, including much-watched moves like replacing a riverfront highway with parkland. While the level of public-private coordination to pull off such a feat seems almost unthinkable in America, the U.S. does have a rich history of adapting old parking garages to new uses: Cambridge, MA turned one into shops way back in the early ‘70s, while others have been turned into apartments in cities as varied as Los Angeles and Wichita.
A Few Good Links
Waymo expands to San Diego, Vegas, Detroit. SpotOn adds DoorDash, Deliverect and Reddie integrations. Gopuff donates $10M to SNAP recipients; new grocers join DoorDash’s SNAP donations; Instacart launches online donation drive; judge orders Trump Admin must tap emergency food funds. UPS stock soars on earnings beat, job cuts. Shopping platform Whatnot raises $225M. Cheesecake Factory profit up 6%. Waabi partners with Volvo. Kiwibot finishes rebrand to Robot.com with new model launch. Chipotle traffic falls as younger customers stay home. Crumbl partners with Zipline. Toast and Uber announce strategic partnership. Instacart adds Pet Supplies Plus. BMO cardholders to get free Instacart+. El Pollo Loco sees revenue climb as digital orders now account for 27% of systemwide sales, up from 20% the year prior. UPS to bump rates 5.9%. U.S. may lower Chinese tariff rate. Whole Foods plans three more Daily Shops. Trucking capacity falls. M&S introduces Click & Collect at Applegreen in Ireland. Restaurant Brands International (Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons) sees revenue climb 6.9%. Shake Shack swings to a profit. Shipt adds gifting feature. Deliveroo adds Pets Corner. “I Deliver Parcels in Beijing” — hit Chinese book heads to America. Hot to turn holiday customers into regulars. iFood brings Black Friday to Brazil (where it definitely is not Thanksgiving season.) Walmart adds holiday shopping features to app. Alibaba plans convenience store tech push.
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