Shipt to Deliver Publix Groceries in Orlando, Fla.

Online delivery service Shipt will start delivering groceries from Publix Super Markets in the Orlando, Fla., area on Sept. 5, according to a published report. The Birmingham, Ala.-based company already delivers items from the grocer in Tampa, Fla., and its hometown.

Shipt spokeswoman Allison Lavender told the Orlando Sentinel that that the company is delivering groceries from Publix because the Lakeland, Fla.-based grocer is the largest supermarket chain in the market, but that the service could expand to other grocers in the future. The two companies are unconnected, however.

"At this time, Publix is not affiliated with Shipt, the app-based grocery delivery service; therefore we do we have any control over the pricing, fees or offerings of the service,"  Dwaine Stevens, a spokesman for the grocer, told the newspaper. "We are aware of Shipt using our name in their advertisements; however, without an established partnership, any use of the Publix name is without our consent."

Shipt's program, which enables customers to order either through its website or a mobile phone app, costs $99 for an annual membership, with free delivery on orders over $35; the company is currently offering a 50 percent discount on the first year of membership. Delivery is the same day as the order.

According to Shipt, it's currently looking for drivers in the greater Orlando area.