Coles will trial the use of drones for the home delivery of a limited number of grocery items to some Gold Coast suburbs.
The trial, with Google subsidiary Wing, extends a service the company has run out of Logan for several years.
Drones have also been used for deliveries of fast food and found to have superior delivery times compared with cars. Coles has also been trialing the system in Canberra where about 5000 deliveries have been made since March this year.
Wing has also been running trials out of its Logan base and will extend the delivery service for Coles to the suburbs of Ormeau, Ormeau Hills and Yatala.
However, the service is not designed to deliver the weekly shopping. There is a one-kilogram weight limit.
Coles said it would deliver about 500 of its most popular items, including bread, fresh produce, convenience meals, snacks, health care items and household essentials.
Wing Australia general manager Simon Rossi said the company was investing in pilot programs that would enable drone delivery at scale.
“Since launching our drone delivery service in Logan a few years ago, we’ve heard from customers across south east Queensland who are keen to see drone delivery expand to their region,” Rossi said.
“We’re delighted that through this pilot program with Coles, for the first time, drone delivery will be available to residents in the City of Gold Coast.”
- This story first appeared in InQueensland and is republished here with permission
