UPS invests in same-day delivery company Deliv

NEW YORK – UPS, looking for ways to get goods to shoppers faster, is investing in same-day delivery company Deliv.

Deliv, founded nearly four years ago, works with Macy’s Inc., Kohl’s Corp. and other retailers to deliver online orders within the same day. Shoppers select same-day delivery when they’re about to buy something from the retailer’s website and Deliv’s workers get it delivered. Retailers pay Deliv for its service and the stores usually charge customers. At Kohl’s, for example, shoppers pay $9.95 for same-day deliveries on orders above $75 and $14.95 for orders below $75.

Deliv said Tuesday it raised $28 million from a group of investors, including first-time investor United Parcel Service Inc. UPS says the investment will help it observe the same-day delivery market. Deliv did not specify how much UPS is investing. Other investors include mall operators General Growth Properties Inc., Taubman Centers Inc. and Westfield Corp., which also work with Deliv.

Shoppers increasingly expect speedy deliveries, and stores are trying to keep up with fast shipping from online retailers such as Amazon.com Inc.

“Same-day delivery is becoming a new standard,” says Deliv founder and CEO Daphne Carmeli.

Other retailers working with Deliv include electronics retailer Best Buy Co. and pharmacy retailer Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. Deliv offers its services in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and other cities. Malls have been working with Deliv, too, helping to bring the items ordered to a central location in the mall so delivery people don’t have to go in stores to pick up the items.

Deliv, based in Menlo Park, California, said it will use the cash raised to expand.