Just Eat has expanded its autonomous delivery robot trial with Morrisons into Cambridgeshire to bring grocery delivery to areas not currently served by its traditional courier network.
It has rolled out Starship Technologies’ autonomous robots in Cambourne, bringing the service to more than 12,000 residents.
It marks the first location where Just Eat has introduced autonomous grocery deliveries without already operating a conventional grocery delivery service.
Morrisons’ Cambourne supermarket has become the fourth store from the grocer to join the trial, alongside three Morrisons Daily sites across Sunderland and Milton Keynes.
Orders placed through Just Eat from the Cambourne store will be delivered exclusively by robot, with shoppers able to choose from thousands of products spanning everyday essentials, fresh food and last-minute meals.
Just Eat said its autonomous delivery technology is intended to complement its existing courier network while allowing it to expand into areas where traditional delivery logistics are more limited.
The robots, developed by Starship Technologies, use AI to navigate independently, avoid obstacles and make real-time decisions during deliveries.
Just Eat grocery and retail director Caroline Bates said: “Our autonomous delivery trials are all about innovating to improve the customer experience – whether that’s enabling us to offer delivery in new areas like Cambourne or increase delivery capacity and speeds in the run up to Christmas.
“We’ll be listening closely to customer feedback on this new and exciting service.”
Morrisons group online director Charlotte Exell added: “We are pleased to be working with Just Eat and Starship Technologies to trial autonomous robot deliveries from our Cambourne supermarket as we continue exploring innovative ways to serve our local community.”
It said the robots are suited to typical midweek top-up shops of around 12 items, with cucumbers, chicken, milk and eggs among the most popular products ordered from Morrisons through Just Eat.
The expansion follows strong demand for the service in Sunderland and Milton Keynes and comes as Morrisons looks to build additional delivery capacity ahead of the festive period.
To encourage uptake in Cambourne, Just Eat is offering shoppers £5 off a £25 spend and free delivery on orders until 21 October.
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