By Jordan Arseneault
Toronto, Ontario – July 4, 2018 — Kroger Co. is joining forces with Silicon Valley start-up Nuro, with the goal of becoming the first U.S. grocer to deliver products with self-driving cars.
The company announced Thursday that it hopes to have its fully autonomous delivery cars on the road by the end of this year. Currently Kroger provides delivery services for approximately 1,200 of its 2,800 U.S. stores. In the event that the project is successful, Kroger would be able to reassign their current drivers to improve customer service, as well as drive down delivery costs.
Customers will be able to access the service via an online app. The process itself would work very much like ride sharing apps Uber and Lyft, in that customers would meet the cars at their destination choice. It is expected that customers would be given an access code to gain entry into the vehicle to take their groceries.
The location of the service is still unknown, but according to Nuro co-founder Dave Ferguson it will likely involve Fry’s supermarkets in California or Arizona.
