When the Safeway grocery chain decided to launch an online business in 2001, the company turned to Supreme Corp. to build its delivery trucks, which would bring grocery orders directly to the online customers.

Since then, Safeway’s online grocery business has grown substantially and the company continues to expand to new territories — with Supreme adding to the delivery fleet each time.
With initial operations in the West — including Southern California, Las Vegas, Sacramento Valley, Seattle, Portland, the San Francisco Bay Area and Phoenix — Safeway is now bringing its grocery delivery service to the East.
Safeway.com recently ordered 46 new delivery trucks for its new territory, which will include Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and parts of Virginia and Maryland. Supreme’s manufacturing facility in Jonestown, Pa. will be responsible for building the new vehicles.
According to Mark Beer, national fleet sales manager for Supreme, “One of the things that has been important in our ongoing relationship with Safeway is the fact that we have facilities all over the country. This helps us strongly support the continued growth and expansion of Safeway.com’s services. Plus, our close relationships with chassis manufacturers — in this case, Ford — is extremely helpful as well. Because we have our own pool of chassis, we’re able to offer Safeway options that are not available with just any body company.”
The Safeway.com trucks are built on rugged, easy-to-maneuver Ford cutaway chassis, and the Supreme body features Thermo King refrigeration units with IceOTherm technology, which offers multiple-temperature capabilities. The body is constructed of Supreme’s own fiberglass-reinforced plywood (FRP) — which is highly durable and provides smooth, white surfaces for vibrant exterior graphics. Inside, Supreme has installed custom racking systems to hold products and delivery totes — while roll-up side doors and standard rear doors offer easy access to any area of the cargo space.
“These vehicles are unique in that they’re compartmentalized to carry all types of products, including frozen, fresh and non-refrigerated items,” Beer says.
With its latest order, Safeway.com will have a total of nearly 300 trucks on the road, delivering a wide range of products, directly from their stores to customers’ homes in more than 1,000 zip codes nationwide, and in a total of 12 regional markets.
Supreme builds a variety of bodies for work trucks, delivery vehicles and more.