Mega-bite: Robots heading to Wakefield as grocery delivery service expands across Yorkshire

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Robots are heading to Wakefield as Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services, has partnered with Co-op and Wakefield Council to bring the benefits of autonomous grocery delivery to residents.

The service will initially be available to 13,000 residents across more than 6,500 households in the district, with orders made through the Starship food delivery app, which is available for download on iOS and Android.

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Groceries will be picked fresh from the Co-op store on Meadow Vale, Outwood, and delivered quickly and conveniently from store to door in minutes.

Anyone placing an order will also be able to enjoy a recently launched new feature from Starship, with three robot “characters” available to customise the delivery experience.

Starship Technologies has partnered with Co-op and Wakefield Council to bring the benefits of autonomous grocery delivery to residents.Starship Technologies has partnered with Co-op and Wakefield Council to bring the benefits of autonomous grocery delivery to residents.
Starship Technologies has partnered with Co-op and Wakefield Council to bring the benefits of autonomous grocery delivery to residents.

Wakefield residents can choose to receive their orders from Sir Lance-a-bot, Gizmo and Sunshine, with each greeting customers in their own unique way.

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Customers can also choose a song for their robot to play on arrival.

The launch in Wakefield continues Starship’s recent expansion across Yorkshire and the north of England, with the company’s robots already a familiar sight in several other locations across the UK including Leeds and Trafford.

Coun Matthew Morley, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for planning and highways, said: “We’re excited that this cutting-edge technology is coming to our district and helping our residents who might find it difficult to get out and about with an affordable and convenient way of doing their food shopping."The service is also environmentally-friendly - the robots are zero emission; people won’t need to drive to the shops in their cars, and it will help to reduce food waste as people can order a small shop with the exact ingredients they need.”

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Starship Technologies' delivery robots are launching in Wakefield.Starship Technologies' delivery robots are launching in Wakefield.
Starship Technologies' delivery robots are launching in Wakefield.

Starship Technologies recently celebrated five years of commercial service, and, since launch, the company’s robots have safely completed more than four million deliveries around the world, undertaking 140,000 road crossings every day.

Andrew Curtis, UK operations manager at Starship Technologies, said: “We are delighted to officially launch our service in Wakefield today and provide local residents with the opportunity to have their groceries delivered by our fleet of battery powered robots.

"We all want cleaner air to breathe, and our robots make short car journeys to the supermarket a thing of the past.”

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Customers can choose from a wide range of grocery items, schedule their delivery, then drop a pin where they want it to be sent.

Groceries will be picked fresh from the local Co-op store on Meadow Vale, Outwood.Groceries will be picked fresh from the local Co-op store on Meadow Vale, Outwood.
Groceries will be picked fresh from the local Co-op store on Meadow Vale, Outwood.

They can watch the robot travel in real-time via an interactive map, and will receive an alert when it arrives, and can meet and unlock the robot’s lid through the app to retrieve their groceries.

Chris Conway, eCommerce director, Co-op, said: “Co-op stores are well placed in the heart of local communities to provide quick, easy and convenient home deliveries - whether a full shop or last-minute top-ups.

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"We are committed to exploring new and innovative ways to increase access to our products and services, and delighted to be able to roll-out our autonomous robot deliveries to provide additional online flexibility and choice in Wakefield.”