Walmart Plays Catch-Up, Starts Selling Meal Kits Online

Walmart has made the latest move in its never-ending battle with Amazon for control of people who shop in their underwear. TheStreet reports Walmart started selling meal kits from companies like Home Chef and Takeout Kit on its website last weekend. Amazon, of course, entered the meal kit game over the summer. The way it works for Walmart: customers buy meal kits on Walmart.com, the meal kit companies fulfill the orders, and Walmart gets a small commission and referral fee. The CEO of meal kit company Terra's Kitchen says it's "a low risk model for Walmart to see if their e-commerce shoppers will have an interest in meal kits." It also gives meal kit companies access to Walmart's huge customer base, according to Business Insider. So far it seems like a success, with a number of the 30 meal kits available on Walmart.com having reportedly sold out already.

Meanwhile, Blue Apron continues to be collateral damage in the Amazon-Walmart war. The meal kit company went public in June only to see its stock tank when Amazon got involved in meal kits. And now Walmart is giving a boost to Blue Apron's competitors, the Verge reports. While the meal kit industry is valued at more than $2 billion, Blue Apron's stock has dropped more than 70% since the company went public. Its IPO is currently the worst-performing stock in the US this year. (More Walmart stories.)