Lula and Uber to help thousands of C-stores in the U.S. to transform into micro-fulfillment centers as consumer demand for delivery grows
Lula and Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) today announced a partnership that will empower thousands of convenience stores (c-stores) to offer on-demand delivery to customers through Uber Eats.
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Convenience stores often referred to as c-stores, are ubiquitous — with a store located under three miles away from each household. c-stores are an essential part of the U.S. economy, with nearly 165 million transactions daily. However, a large majority of c-stores are unable to offer last-mile delivery. This is predominantly due to infrastructural issues with brick-n-mortar retail, with a lack of technical resources within c-store locations. While there are over 150k c-stores nationally, these stores have had difficulty making the switch to digital. Lula and Uber’s partnership aims to bridge this gap through Lula’s virtual c-store offering.
Lula, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a technology company that transforms convenience stores into last-mile micro-fulfillment centers. The company was founded in 2020 by Drexel University graduates Adit Gupta and Tom Falzani, who attempted to bring Gupta’s family’s shuttered convenience store in South New Jersey online amidst the pandemic with no success.
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Launching this fall, Lula’s software will help c-stores quickly transform their store into a virtual listing for Uber Eats customers to enjoy. Lula offers inventory management and aggregation software that enables c-stores to easily sync and manage their inventory through the Lula for Stores app — making it available on Uber Eats. Uber Eats customers will be able to find these “Lula Convenience Stores” in the new “Convenience” category now available on Uber Eats.
This exciting partnership between Lula and Uber will benefit thousands of convenience stores across all 50 states in the U.S. – which may have all the popular items desired by shoppers but no way of getting their selection online. Given the rapid rise of on-demand delivery, Lula & Uber aim to create more opportunities for brick-n-mortar stores to benefit and modernize for the digital age.