Co-op and Starship Technologies are set to launch food delivery robots in Cambridge, in partnership with Cambridge County Council.
Rolling out from today (17 November), the service will be available to 12,200 residents in the Cherry Hinton and Queen Edith areas of Cambridge.
Orders can be made via the Starship food delivery app which will be picked in local Co-op stores and delivered via the battery powered robots.
As deliveries can be made in less than an hour, customers can watch the robot travel in real-time via an interactive map and when their order has arrived, residents will be alerted to meet and unlock the robot through the app.
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This comes following a pilot in Cambourne earlier this year which saw 98% of people saying they would recommend the delivery robots to their friends.
“Co-op is committed to exploring new and innovative ways to increase access to its products and services. Our members and customers lead busy lives and so ease, speed and convenience is a cornerstone of our approach,” Co-op eCommerce director, Chris Conway said.
“Co-op stores are well placed in local communities to provide quick and easy home deliveries – whether a full shop or last-minute top-ups. We are pleased that the trial has expanded into Cambridge and, has been seen to contribute to the reduction in unnecessary car journeys while providing flexible options online for shoppers in our communities.”
Starship Technologies UK operations manager, Andrew Curtis added: “We are delighted to be expanding our on-demand, quick and sustainable grocery delivery service to an additional 12,200 residents in Cambridge.
“Our friendly robots have been very well received, and as a result are actively reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions in the areas they operate in. We are very much looking forward to working closely with Cambridgeshire County Council and Co-op, and hope to further expand our service over the coming years.”
