Starship Technologies delivery robots start rolling for Just Eat takeaway customers in Sunderland

A new Starship Technologies and Just Eat partnership will see the former’s autonomous robots delivering hot food for local takeaways. The first service under this tie up will be in Sunderland, the home of Just Eat’s operations in the North East. 

Customers will have the option to select Starship deliveries through the Just Eat app. The companies say the service will grow in line with demand, and that the partnership will soon expand to other locations across the country.

Mert Öztekin, Chief Technology Officer at Just Eat, says: “We’re always innovating to improve the delivery experience for our customers and we’re excited to have kick-started our ground robotics trial in the North East with Starship. We’ve teamed up with a diverse range of local independent restaurants to trial the Starship robots and we’ll be listening to their feedback closely, as well as that of our customers.”

Ahti Heinla, Founder and Chief Executive at Starship Technologies, says: “We’re excited to announce a new partnership with Just Eat, and to kick it off in Sunderland. The key to a scaled, loved delivery service is high-level autonomy.”

“Our robots are trained to think for themselves and learn their way around the local area with ease. The economics of robot delivery only work when the robots are truly smart: robots learn with every journey, and Starship robots have completed millions of journeys.”

“But it’s more than that. The autonomy level of our robots means they integrate well into the community. They’re not just able to operate safely. They’re polite – and that’s what builds a genuine connection in the community. That’s why tens of thousands of people across the country now get their Friday night takeaways delivered by robots. That’s how Starship is scaling and leading the way. We expect our partnership to expand rapidly to other towns and cities across the UK and beyond.” 

Patrick Melia, Chief Executive, Sunderland City Council, comments: “Sunderland is already one of the UK’s most tech forward and smart cities, and it’s great to have a major local employer like Just Eat involved in this latest innovation. We’re sure these robots will bring extra convenience for residents, especially people who are less mobile or unable to leave home. We look forward to seeing them supporting residents across Sunderland.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Autonomous delivery will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.