Kroger’s leaning in—to robots. The grocery chain has struck a multiyear agreement with autonomous delivery company Gatik to deliver orders in the Dallas area. The self-driving trucks will operate out of a new $55 million fulfillment center, sending customer orders to various retail locations several times a day, speeding up the rate at which online orders are ready—and, since they originate from a warehouse and not a smaller store, reducing the chances of an item being out of stock.
The trucks will hit the street in the second quarter with safety drivers onboard, but by 2024, the 25 vehicles will go fully autonomous, the Dallas Morning News reports.
