Just a month after Target made it clear grocery delivery was in its not-too-distant future, the retailer has kicked off a test of the service in its hometown of Minneapolis via online grocery delivery company Instacart.

Instacart, which recently expanded to the Minneapolis area, announced that it is partnering with Target to handle on-demand deliveries of groceries, household products and other items to customers in many parts of the city starting on Tuesday.

“We’re excited to be partnering with another company that believes in the power of innovation as much as we do,” Instacart says.

A spokesperson for Target tells the Star Tribune that while the test of grocery delivery is just getting underway, the company is already in talks to expand to other markets.

“We’re excited we’re able to launch this pilot right here in Minneapolis where our team can monitor it very closely,” he added.

Through the partnership, customers can have select household, health and beauty, pet and baby products, as well as groceries from Target stores delivered to their homes in about an hour.

In addition to partnering with Target for the pilot in Minneapolis, Instacart will make deliveries for Whole Foods and Cub Foods.

The company says it has already hired 150 mostly part-time employees to serve as personal shoppers to fulfill delivery orders, the Star Tribune reports.

Instacart’s initial delivery area will include downtown Minneapolis, Uptown, Dinkytown, Edina, St. Louis Park, Richfield and Hopkins. It charges $3.99 for a two-hour delivery or $5.99 for deliveries within an hour for orders over $35.

[via The Star Tribune]

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