DoorDash's New Convenience Store Initiative: What We Know

Food delivery platform DoorDash announced DashMart Wednesday, a digital convenience store initiative. 

What Happened: DoorDash said it considers itself to be a "critical lifeline" to the members it serves and strives to find new products and services in high demand.

Back in April, DoorDash launched a Convenience category where it facilitates the delivery of common items from convenience stores.

Expanding on this April initiative, the company will now give users access to thousands of convenience, grocery and restaurant items as part of the new DashMart business, the company said. DashMart stores are owned, operated and curated by DoorDash.

Why It's Important: DashMart represents a new channel for local businesses to target online customers and consists of partnerships with both national and local brands.

"Our mission is to connect customers to the best in their cities while helping any business on Main Street grow, and we hope to inspire even more local businesses — from restaurants and bakeries to artisanal shops and home goods retailers — to sell with us on DashMart," according to the company. 

What's Next: DashMart is available in eight cities: Chicago, Minneapolis, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dallas, Salt Lake City, the greater Phoenix area, and Redwood City, California.

Over the coming months, DoorDash said the service will be expanded to more cities across the U.S.

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Photo courtesy of DoorDash.