Co-op expands its robot delivery scheme in Northampton

The scheme relies on the boxes-on-wheels robots made by Starship Technologies.

Online orders are put together in-store and the robots, which can cross roads and avoid obstacles using sophisticated sensors, deliver up to three miles away.

The service was first launched a year ago and now an additional 31,000 households have been added to the network, which includes six Co-op stores in several areas of Northampton.

Customers schedule their delivery for a particular address and watch in real-time via an interactive map as the robot makes its journey to them.

Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can meet and unlock it through the app.

Chris Conway, Co-op’s head of e-commerce, said: “Co-op is committed to exploring new and innovative ways to increase access to our products and services.

“Our members and our customers lead busy lives and ease, speed and convenience is at the heart of our approach.”

The local council is a big supporter of the robot scheme, partly because the robots are powered by zero-carbon electricity.

Councillor Phil Larratt of West Northamptonshire Council said the scheme was helping towards the town’s ambition to become carbon-neutral by 2030.

Local residents are said to like the robots. Andrew Curtis, UK operations manager at Starship Technologies, said: “Since launching our service a year ago, we have been moved by the extremely positive reaction to the robots and how they have been embraced as part of the local community.”