Co-op brings Starship delivery robots to Northampton
Co-op is expanding its use of autonomous home delivery in partnership with Starship Technologies.
The convenience retailer is also ramping up its same-day online and Click and Collect grocery service which will be available from more than 1,000 stores by the end of this year.
Co-op plans to use around 300 of Starship’s robots by the end of 2021 as it looks for more towns and cities to operate autonomous deliveries after launching in Milton Keynes, and now Northampton.
Chris Conway, Head of E-commerce, Co-op, says: “We continue to look for new ways to innovate and expand access to our products and services to deliver a truly compelling offer for consumers.”
“Our partnership with Starship enables Co-op to offer further availability, flexibility and choice to meet community shopping needs for on-demand convenience.”
“We have seen big changes in e-commerce this year with new customers using the channel that have never used it before, and seeing the benefits. Offering quality and value quickly, easily and conveniently is core to our approach - delivering what our members and customers want, when and where they need it.”
Northampton residents can access groceries delivered by robot through the Starship app, choosing from a range of more than 1,000 of food or drink items from the Co-op.
They then drop a “pin” where they want their delivery to be sent, and can watch in real-time as the robot makes its journey via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert and can then meet and unlock it through the app.
Sign up for our free retail technology newsletter here.
