Ahold Delhaize kicks off in-store robots initiative

Nearly 500 robots, named Marty, are coming to the stores of Ahold Delhaize brands Stop & Shop and Giant/Martin’s, marking one of the largest robotics deployments in the US grocery industry.

The roll-out stems from a partnership between Retail Business Services – the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA – and Badger Technologies, a product division of Jabil, and follows on from pilot projects. “As part of our continued focus on technology transformation, we’re pleased to support one of the most significant deployments of robotics innovation in the grocery retail industry,” says Paul Scorza, EVP and Chief Information Officer for Retail Business Services.

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“Several companies in the grocery retail space have recently begun testing or using in-store robots – something Retail Business Services and the local brands we serve have been doing for some time. We’re pleased to support the Giant/Martin’s and Stop & Shop brands as they now lead the industry from test to large-scale usage of robots and to see the benefits the technology continues to drive for their businesses.”

The in-store robots are used to identify hazards, such as liquid, powder and bulk food item spills and provide reporting that enables corrective action. The deployment at Giant/Martin’s and Stop & Shop is taking place throughout the early part of 2019. Other Ahold Delhaize USA brands are testing out autonomous robots in select stores.