Co-op extends robot deliveries to Bedford

Co-op has extended grocery deliveries by robot to Bedford following an expansion of the scheme to Milton Keynes, Northampton and Cambridgeshire earlier this month.

Working in partnership Bedford Borough Council, Co-op said the move will enable up to 45,000 residents across 20,000 households in Bedford to benefit from deliveries from three local Co-op stores in Goldington, Queens Drive and Kempston via a fleet of Starship Technology autonomous robots.

Chris Conway, ecommerce director at Co-op, said: “We are delighted to be able to expand our partnership to areas of Bedford – 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.”

When using the service, Bedford and Kempston residents choose their grocery items, schedule their delivery, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. They can then watch in real-time via an interactive map as the robot makes its journey to them.

Source: Retail Bulletin