Kroger is working with Drone Express, a division of TELEGRID Technologies, to test autonomous drones for grocery deliveries.
Multiple companies are working to deploy drones, with plans to use them for autonomous deliveries. Late last year, the Federal Aviation Administration cleared unmanned drones for night flights and flights over people, a critical next step in widespread adoption.
Kroger is now the next major company looking to deploy autonomous drones for deliveries, and is turning to Drone Express to help it. Kroger will test its pilot program around the Kroger Marketplace in Centerville, Ohio.
“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. “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.”
“Autonomous drones have unlimited potential to improve everyday life, and our technology opens the way to safe, secure, environmentally friendly deliveries for Kroger customers,” said Beth Flippo, Chief Technology Officer, TELEGRID. “The possibilities for customers are endless – we can enable Kroger customers to send chicken soup to a sick friend or get fast delivery of olive oil if they run out while cooking dinner.”