Dive Brief:
- Instacart is facing a lawsuit — a class action complaint filed Jan. 9 — alleging "unethical, oppressive and unscrupulous" practices from the company and is looking for damages for those employed as a "shopper delivery person" since 2012, reports TIME.
- The lawsuit, first reported Wednesday, alleges Instacart isn't just a middle man, but "is in the business of providing online grocery shopping and delivery service."
- Instacart has not responded to requests for comments.
Dive Insight:
It will be interesting to see if Instacart's claim as a software company will play out in its favor — it certainly hasn't for Uber. The district judge hearing the case declared Uber's claims "fatally flawed."
Elsewhere in the grocery space, FreshDirect announced its next senior vice president and chief merchandising officer, Toby Noiles, who was previously with Safeway for 29 years, according to Supermarket News.