Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER) announced Wednesday that it's beefing up its grocery delivery game by adding more than 375 Wakefern Food Corp. supermarket locations to Uber Eats. That's a big deal for the Northeast, where customers will now have a lot more options for everyday purchases.

Uber Adds More Than 375 Supermarkets

So what does this mean in practice? If you live in the Northeast, you can now order from a bunch of Wakefern banners through Uber Eats, including ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Morton Williams, Dearborn Market, Di Bruno Bros., Fairway Market and Gourmet Garage. That's a lot of grocery stores, from big-box supermarkets to specialty food shops.

The service covers the usual grocery staples: produce, meat, seafood, prepared foods, pantry products and household essentials. And you can get them delivered on-demand or schedule a delivery for later, whichever suits your fancy.

To sweeten the deal, Uber Eats is offering eligible customers discounts of up to 30% on their first order from participating Wakefern banners. If you're an Uber One member, you might also get a $0 delivery fee. Not too shabby.

For Wakefern, which is a retailer-owned cooperative with many family-owned and operated supermarkets, this expansion opens up another digital channel to reach customers. It's a win-win: Uber gets more grocery inventory, and Wakefern gets more online visibility.

Grocery Marketplace Continues To Expand

This isn't just a one-off deal. The Wakefern partnership is part of Uber Eats' broader push into grocery and retail, as the company keeps adding national and regional supermarket brands to its platform. Uber says its grocery marketplace is seeing strong growth across North America, as more people get comfortable using on-demand delivery for everyday essentials.

Prashant Garg, Head of North America at Uber Eats, put it this way: adding more than 375 supermarkets helps Uber build a marketplace that can handle everything from a full weekly grocery trip to grabbing last-minute ingredients for dinner. That's the kind of flexibility that makes on-demand delivery so appealing.

The partnership broadens Uber Eats' grocery selection while also extending the platform's reach through established neighborhood supermarket brands across the Northeast. It's a smart way to tap into existing customer loyalty.

Grocery Expansion Opens Another Growth Avenue

Uber is clearly betting big on grocery and retail delivery as a long-term growth driver, even if it means putting off some near-term margin gains. Management seems to be playing the long game here.

Back in November, DA Davidson analyst Tom White noted that Grocery and Retail gross bookings have hit a $12 billion annual run rate and are growing faster than restaurant delivery. That's a pretty strong signal that the strategy is working. White sees Uber's disciplined reinvestment across grocery, affordability and other new businesses as supporting sustainable long-term growth.

So while some investors might be impatient for bigger profits, Uber is focused on building out these new revenue streams. It's a calculated bet that the grocery business will pay off down the road.

Top ETF Exposure

If you're an ETF investor, you might want to pay attention to this. UBER carries significant weight in a few funds, which means any big inflows or outflows from these ETFs could force automatic buying or selling of the stock. Here are the top ones:

• Pacer US Cash Cows Growth ETF (BUL): 4.96% Weight
• Pathfinder Focused Opportunities ETF (PFOE): 4.97% Weight
• Cambiar Aggressive Value ETF (CAMX): 4.72% Weight

Significance: Because UBER carries significant weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows for these ETFs will likely force automatic buying or selling of the stock.

UBER Price Action: Uber Technologies shares were down 1.08% at $72.33 at the time of publication on Wednesday.