Blue Apron Holdings Inc. is planing to make the leap to brick-and-mortar stores in 2018, the company confirmed March 15.
The company will debut meal kits in stores later this year, Blue Apron spokeswoman Louise Ward told S&P Global Market Intelligence in an email. The company did not specify which retailers it plans to work with.
Offering its kits both in stores and online "will make our brand more accessible to homes across the country," Ward said. The Wall Street Journal reported Blue Apron's plans earlier on March 15.
The company's plans come about one month after President, CEO and Director Bradley Dickerson told analysts Feb. 13 that selling its meal kits through retailers "would make sense" in the long-term.
Some analysts have pointed to Blue Apron as an attractive acquisition target for grocers as they compete with Amazon.com Inc.'s Whole Foods Market Inc.
Since going public in June 2017, the New York-based meal-kit maker has sought to reassure investors that it is able to grow its business. In 2017, the company cited challenges ramping up production at a new production plant in New Jersey.
In February, Dickerson and other executives said they had improved efficiency at the plant, though they had scaled back their marketing efforts to focus on the production issues.
