Walmart is expanding its existing pilot programme with Gatik US: Farmstead reaches key online grocery profitability milestone Farmstead, the first online grocer to offer fresh, high-quality groceries, delivered for free, at better prices than local supermarkets, announced that it is now contribution-margin positive in its San Francisco hub (meaning the service is profitable on a per-order basis). Farmstead achieved this milestone without mark-ups, service fees or delivery fees, and in the most competitive and highest-cost market in the US. US: Walmart, discounters in strong position heading into 2021 During the recent SN Analysts Roundtable, Supermarket News spoke with Robby Ohmes, analyst at Bank of America, about what the grocery industry experienced in 2020 under COVID-19 - and which companies he expects to see retain the success that retailers have seen in pandemic America. Ohmes said he has been paying close attention to Walmart, Target and other discounters. “We think the discounters are the big beneficiaries of the development done on the omnichannel side of the business during COVID-19”, he said. “And we think that's going to carry over well for them into next year. One of the benefits that we think Walmart and Target have relative to the food retailers is that they sell general merchandise and we're seeing the momentum in general merchandise improve, which is coinciding with the big uptake on their omnichannel initiatives, particularly pickup but also delivery”.