Peachtree launches world's first wireless on-line supermarket

Peachtree Network Inc. launched a new service that allows consumers to shop for groceries without a trip to the store - or the desktop computer.

The Montreal-based company announced that residents of Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver can shop online for groceries via internet-enabled mobile phones and PDAs. This makes it the world's first wireless internet grocery shopping service.

Peachtree said its wireless service is scheduled to be available in fourteen other U.S. and Canadian cities by Labour Day.

"This service gives consumers access to their grocery store while at the neighborhood hockey rink, on a ski lift, or waiting at a bus stop or for a colleague at lunch. It provides unprecedented convenience in grocery shopping," said Jeremy Lee Jonas, Peachtree's president and chief operating officer in a release Thursday.

Bell Mobility customers can start ordering right away, launching WAP-enabled phones and selecting "groceries by Peachtree". The company said it hopes the partnership with Bell will help drive traffic to the wireless grocery offering.

Peachtree consumers can also visit http://ptnet.ws with an internet-enabled phone browser.

The launch is a cooperative effort with Bell Mobility, Speedware Corporation, and Peachtree grocers including Sun Valley Fine Foods, Mourelatos Supermarkets, the Country Grocer and Strong's markets.