Majid Al Futtaim inks Carrefour UAE online delivery deal with Yandex
Majid Al Futtaim, which specialises in shopping mall, communities, retail, and leisure across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia, is teaming with Russian tech giant Yandex to explore autonomous technology solutions that enhance Carrefour UAE’s last mile delivery capabilities.
This makes Carrefour the first omnichannel retailer to use self-driving robots for online order delivery in the region.
A pilot, involving customers in select neighbourhoods across the UAE, is set to launch in early 2022.
Hani Weiss, CEO at Majid Al Futtaim Retail, says: “We are excited to explore this innovative new last mile solution to offer our customers greater flexibility, convenience and speed with their online orders.”
“What was once considered science fiction, we are delighted that the wheels are in motion for Carrefour to start delivering orders via self-driving, fully automated robots.”
Dmitry Polishchuk, CEO at Yandex Self-Driving Group, comments: "The demand for automated last-mile delivery continues to grow across the world. Not only businesses, but also cities and even whole states have now taken an interest in this technology.”
“Autonomous delivery has the potential to improve the life for people in cities, while helping companies optimise their logistics and cut down the costs.”
“Yandex robots have already delivered tens of thousands of orders in the USA and Russia. Together with Majid Al Futtaim we will explore the opportunities to bring the advantages of robotic delivery to Dubai’s daily life."
Carrefour City+
Majid Al Futtaim also recently announced the launch of checkout free store, Carrefour City+.
A first for Carrefour worldwide and located in Mall of the Emirates, this taps AiFi powered artificial intelligence technology.
Store access and shopping payment is enabled via the MAF Carrefour app. Once inside Carrefour City+, every item picked up by customers is automatically added to a digital shopping basket and the purchase is completed by walking out.
