Small businesses will soon deliver to thousands of consumers in their local communities.
Lula and Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), an Exelon company, are teaming up to provide rapid delivery fulfillment technology to store owners in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area. The initiative will enable convenience stores to access all modern delivery solutions, including DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and more, with one easy-to-use platform. Lula aims to modernize brick-and-mortar infrastructure and delight local shoppers looking to get goods delivered in under 30 minutes.
Launching a delivery business can be incredibly challenging for merchants that lack the resources to pay high commission fees, manage multiple delivery tablets, and update their 2,000+ item inventory across each delivery channel. Lula is the only platform in the convenience store segment offering merchants 0% commission fees. Hundreds of companies are expanding their business with delivery on apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, Postmates, and Grubhub and managing it all from one Lula-powered tablet.
“The past few years have emphasized the need for small businesses and consumers to have more effortless access to deliveries of goods and services,” says Alex Núñez, Senior Vice President, Governmental, Regulatory, and External Affairs, BGE. “By enabling small businesses in central Maryland to take advantage of Lula’s unique platform to reach more customers – including customers utilizing BGE’s growing EVsmart public charging network – BGE is able to partner with our small business customers to develop a personalized solution that can help lead Maryland to a clean and sustainable economic future.”
Lula and BGE are committed to fostering economic development through local small business success by providing access to services that are otherwise unattainable for many store owners. This collaboration is formed with the primary goal of improving access to technology that will help Baltimore-area retailers develop an additional sales channel and grow their revenue through offering delivery. The first 50 retailers that apply and qualify for the program will be able to do so at no additional cost to the retailer for a whole year, thanks to BGE’s contribution. Additionally, BGE plans to promote Lula’s service and platform at the company’s EVsmart public charging stations throughout central Maryland as an added amenity. EV drivers can curb their hunger while they wait for their vehicle to charge and from nearby retailers that can deliver in under 30 minutes.
This initiative is a significant investment within BGE’s footprint and the locally-fueled economies. Armed with the latest in Lula delivery technology, central Maryland retailers will now be able to compete with international brands that already have well established e-commerce channels and shoppers will be able to secure all of their instant delivery needs from local merchants. Merchants can sign up for Lula with just a few clicks by filling out the brief form at www.luladelivery.com.
Lula is among a select group of startup companies that have received funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change as part of Exelon and the Exelon Foundation’s Climate Change Investment Initiative (2c2i). The 10-year, $20 million program focuses on startups with bright ideas and clean energy and environmentally sustainable technologies with potential for wide-scale impact. Like Lula, the startups that receive 2c2i funding are doing work that will benefit one or more of Exelon’s six major urban markets.
About BGE
BGE is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility, providing safe and reliable energy delivery to more than 1.3 million electric customers and more than 690,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company was founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and remains headquartered in Baltimore City to this day. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider. Engage with the latest BGE stories on bgenow.com and connect with BGE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About Lula
Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, Lula provides delivery solutions for convenience stores, pharmacies, and CPG brands that lack a secondary sales channel, offering the first multi-vendor 30-minute delivery platform to retail stores. Learn more about Lula at www.luladelivery.com.