The Co-op Group is set to extend its same-day robot home delivery service in Northampton, where the scheme was introduced last year.
Since November, the service has been run in and around Wootton Fields and it will be now rolled out to the Barry Road store, from Thursday, 18 February.
The service uses stores as local micro-distribution hubs, which means the high street stores involved with the scheme benefit from the extra trade.
The Group became the first UK retailer to use robot deliveries in and around Milton Keynes in early 2018. Their wider community benefits were seen then, when a “thank you” note was received from a customer recovering from major surgery who considered the home delivery service a lifeline.
Residents can access groceries and have them delivered through the Starship Food Delivery app – choosing from a range of more than 1,000 of their favourite Co-op food or drink items – with robots able to travel up to three miles.
Chris Conway, head of E-commerce, said: “We continue to look for new ways to innovate and expand access to our products and services in order to deliver a truly compelling offer locally.
“The robots have proved to be popular in Northampton, and by offering the home delivery service from our Barry Road store we can further increase availability and choice to meet community shopping needs. Delivering quality and value quickly, easily and conveniently is core to Co-op’s approach.”
The convenience retailer has also ramped up its own online shop – coop.co.uk/shop – and now offers same-day online home delivery and click and collect from around 1,000 of its stores. It is also the most widely available supermarket on the Deliveroo app.
