Instacart is expanding into the Quebec market and introducing a French-language experience as part of what the grocery delivery company’s VP of retail says is its “deepening commitment to Canada.”

Today, Instacart will begin operations in Montreal, offering same-day delivery in as quick as an hour for 25 stores across three retailers: Costco, Les Aliments M&M and Walmart.

In the coming months, Instacart will also expand to Quebec City, Sherbrooke and Gatineau, with retailers like Pharmaprix and Sephora being added to the mix.

The move marks the first time Instacart has translated its same-day online grocery delivery platform outside of English, developing product experiences for local customers, shoppers and retailers that are fully accessible in French. Accessing the French-language experience is largely automatic, being presented to any customer who has preferred language on their web browser or mobile device set to French Canada.

Chris Rogers, Instacart’s VP of retail, reiterates what a lot of experts have said: COVID has accelerated the move towards online grocery shopping, and has forever changed how people view the necessity of on-demand services.

In the first month of the pandemic, Instacart’s order volume in Canada grew by 150% year-over-year. Rogers says that growth has been sustained in the ensuing year, growing its retail footprint by 35% and increasing the amount of shoppers it has recruited by 148% to meet demand. And while its delivery service is available to over 80% of Canadian households, unlocking Canada’s second-most populous province is a necessary step to keep that growth going.

Though he couldn’t provide finer details of how Instacart would be promoting its Quebec launch and subsequent expansion, Rogers says it will be utilizing marketing, product and growth teams, among others, to drive awareness. It continues to work with PR agency, Proof on a project-by-project basis.

According to Rogers, brick and mortar retailers like Costco, Les Aliments M&M and Walmart are the backbone of the future of grocery, and “every aspect of the Instacart marketplace has been built by design to protect retailers and help them gain share in the online market.”

In October, Instacart announced a partnership with fast-fashion retailer H&M in Ontario, B.C. and Saskatchewan.