Co-op and Starship expand robot delivery service in Yorkshire

The partnership between Starship Technologies and The Co-operative is rolling out autonomous grocery deliveries from today (24 May) to local residents in Wakefield, Yorkshire.

The service has been made available to 13,000 residents across over 6,500 households, with orders made through the Starship food delivery app. Groceries will be picked fresh from the local Co-op store on Meadow Vale, Outwood, and delivered from store to door in minutes.

Today’s launch in Wakefield continues the expansion of autonomous robot deliveries and follows recent roll-outs in Leeds and Greater Manchester, where Starship’s robots are already a familiar and popular sight. Other locations across the UK include Milton Keynes, Northampton, Bedford, Cambourne and Cambridge.

Chris Conway, ecommerce director at 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. 

“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 autonomous robot deliveries to provide additional online flexibility, choice and convenience for our members and customers in Wakefield.”

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. 

“The robots have been widely welcomed everywhere they operate for the benefits they provide in terms of ease and convenience for people, while also having a positive environmental impact. We all want cleaner air to breathe, and our robots make short car journeys to the supermarket a thing of the past.”