Co-op expands robot delivery service

Co-op has partnered with North Northamptonshire Council to roll-out autonomous grocery delivery across Wellingborough, Higham Ferrers and Rushden.

The retailer is offering the service, being run collaboration with by Starship Technologies, from four Co-op stores located in the area, with products delivered in as little as one hour or less.

“I am delighted that Starship’s rather cute delivery robots will be coming to North Northamptonshire. This partnership between us, Starship and Co-op is extremely exciting and I know it will make a real difference to people’s lives – providing quick and easy deliveries to residents of Wellingborough, Higham Ferrers and Rushden,” Cllr Graham Lawman, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets, said.

“The council is committed to the environment and this new service is another innovation that we are supporting to help to provide a clean and green alternative to the private car for day-to-day convenience shopping, helping to reduce emissions. They will be really useful for those without a car or unable to get out for those urgent items.”

Chris Conway, eCommerce Director at Co-op, added: “We are delighted to be able to extend the service in the area, as a convenience retailer, the ability to come into stores will always be important to customers, but we also know that shoppers want flexible and convenient options online, and so we are focused on providing what our customers want and need, however and wherever they choose to shop with us.”

Starship’s robots are powered by zero carbon electricity, with an average delivery for a Starship robot consuming as little energy as boiling a kettle to make just one cup of tea. Orders are made through the Starship food delivery app, which is available for download on iOS and Android, with groceries picked fresh in local Co-op stores and delivered quickly and conveniently in as little as one hour or less.

Andrew Curtis, UK Operations Manager at Starship Technologies, said: “We have had very positive feedback from local communities in Northampton since starting operations there in November 2020, and today is an exciting day for Starship as we offer the benefits of autonomous grocery delivery to 33,000 more households across Northamptonshire. Our robots offer an environmentally friendly and convenient way of helping people with their ‘top up’ shopping and we’re confident the service will be similarly well received in North Northants.”

In addition to Northampton, Starship’s robots have become a much loved fixture across local communities in Milton Keynes and, in Cambourne, Cambridgeshire.

Since launching commercial deliveries in 2018, its robots have travelled more than four million miles and safely completed more than 3.5 million deliveries. Around the world, the robots make 140,000 road crossings every day world-wide, equivalent to three road crossings every second.