Coles will be Australia’s first major retailer to offer drone delivery directly from their store to customers’ homes, launching a pilot service in South East Queensland with global on-demand drone delivery company, Wing.
From Wednesday 2 November, customers in the Gold Coast suburbs of Ormeau, Ormeau Hills, and Yatala will be among the first to pilot the store-to-door drone delivery model, offering grocery delivery in minutes, directly from the Coles store at Ormeau Village Shopping Centre.
The service will gradually expand to include other nearby suburbs, delivering 500 of the most popular Coles grocery itemsincluding bread, fresh produce, convenience meals, snacks, health care items, and household essentials.
With a dedicated fleet of Wing delivery drones co-located in the Coles store car park, Coles team members will process and pack orders, while Wing staff will load the drones and oversee operation of the delivery service.
Coles head of network development and customer delivery, James Geddes said Coles was proud to expand its partnership with Wing with the first store-to-door drone delivery concept in Australia.
“We are delighted to be expanding our drone delivery pilot program with Wing to our Queensland customers. The service will provide a convenient and effective way of delivering everyday essentials to our customers’ homes in a matter of minutes,” Geddes said.
“Customers can now get those urgent items they need in a hurry, delivered by drone, directly from the local Coles Ormeau Village store. Whether they’ve forgotten to pick up a loaf of bread or fresh milk during their weekly shop or are missing an ingredient for dinner-time meal prep or school lunches, they can now get those products delivered quickly, without having to drive to the store.
“This new service reinforces our commitment to enhancing the way our customers shop with Coles by delivering anytime, anywhere, anyhow shopping, while supporting our ambition to be Australia’s most sustainable supermarket by continuing to reduce the number of trucks on the road.”
Wing Australia general manager, Simon Rossi said the company is investing in a range of pilot programs, designed to help enable drone delivery at scale, and bring delivery to more Australians.
“We’re excited to be teaming up with Coles on this Australian first store-to-door drone delivery service, helping to expand the delivery options available to Coles customers by bringing affordable, sustainable, and fast drone delivery to the skies of South East Queensland,” Rossi said.
“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. 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.”