The Kroger Co. is partnering with Drone Express to pilot grocery delivery via autonomous drones. Kroger is designing bundled product offerings ideal for meeting customer needs within the current weight limits for drone delivery, which is about five pounds, according to the company.
"Kroger's new drone delivery pilot is part of the evolution of our rapidly growing and innovative e-commerce business—which includes pickup, delivery, and ship and reached more than $10 billion in sales in 2020," said Kroger's Jody Kalmbach, group vice president of product experience, in a statement. "The pilot reinforces the importance of flexibility and immediacy to customers, powered by modern, cost-effective, and efficient last-mile solutions. We're excited to test drone delivery and gain insights that will inform expansion plans as well as future customer solutions."
Drone Express will commence test flights this week near the Kroger Marketplace in Centerville, Ohio, with customer deliveries scheduled to begin later this spring. A second pilot is scheduled to launch this summer at a Ralphs store in California.
"The launch of the pilot in Centerville is the culmination of months of meticulous research and development by Kroger and Drone Express to better serve and meet the needs of our customers," said Ethan Grob, Kroger's director of last mile strategy and product, in a statement. "We look forward to progressing from test flights to customer deliveries this spring, introducing one more way for our customers to experience Kroger."
Related: Kroger Expands Recycling Program; Kroger Reports on Sustainability Goals.
Image: The Kroger Co.