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Kroger begins test of grocery delivery with self-driving vehicles

Pilot gets under way at Fry’s Food store in Arizona

Russell Redman

August 16, 2018

2 Min Read
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Fry’s Food Stores in Scottsdale, Ariz., is leading off The Kroger Co.’s foray into driverless grocery delivery.

Kroger said its pilot with Mountain View, Calif.-based Nuro, announced in late June, kicks off today at the Fry’s supermarket on 7770 East McDowell Rd. in Scottsdale.

In the test, customers shop for groceries via FrysFood.com or the Fry's mobile app and place their order based on time-slot availability. Orders can be scheduled for same-day or next-day delivery by Nuro's fleet of self-driving vehicles. The service has a flat fee of $5.95, and there’s no order minimum.

“We’re excited to launch our autonomous vehicle delivery pilot with Fry’s in Scottsdale,” Kroger Chief Digital Officer Yael Cosset said in a statement. “Kroger wants to bring more customers the convenience of affordable grocery delivery, and our pilot with Nuro will help us test and learn to understand customer acceptance of autonomous vehicles in our seamless offering. We thank Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane and the Scottsdale community for being terrific partners and for supporting customer-focused innovation.”

Specializing in robotics and artificial intelligence technology, Nuro is using its Toyota Prius self-driving car fleet for the launch of the pilot and plans to introduce its custom R1 driverless vehicle this fall.

Related:Kroger to pilot unmanned grocery delivery vehicles

“Arizona is home to some of the most innovative autonomous vehicle testing,” Nuro co-founder Dave Ferguson said. “We’re proud to contribute and turn our vision for local commerce into a real, accessible service that residents of Scottsdale can use immediately. Our goal is to save people time while operating safely and learning how we can further improve the experience.”

Kroger initially announced that the pilot would start this fall. Under the partnership, the companies said, customers will be able to place grocery orders through Kroger’s ClickList system and Nuro’s app and have their items delivered the same day by Nuro’s unmanned vehicles.

The test represents the first application and deployment of Nuro’s hardware and software. Kroger and Nuro have said their pilot could be a game-changer for online grocery delivery because of the supermarket retailer’s reach, about 2,800 stores in 35 states, and the groundbreaking technology being used.

“Scottsdale is proud to be the home of Kroger and Nuro’s partnership,” Lane said. “We welcome innovative technology that can benefit the lives of Scottsdale residents. We feel this partnership holds tremendous potential and promise, and offers our residents real, not-yet-experienced convenience for everyday routines.”

Related:Walmart tests driverless cars for online grocery pickup

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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