Robots have officially rolled into Sale to bring grocery delivery to residents

You might have seen little white robots on wheels driving themselves around the streets of Sale recently. It was part of a trial scheme to bring food delivery robots to town. 

The delivery service has now been approved by Trafford Council and officially launched today. 

The (food delivery) robots have landed in M33 © Trafford Council

Robots are heading to the streets of Sale from today as Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services has partnered with Trafford Council and the Co-op to bring autonomous grocery delivery to residents across Sale.

The service will initially be available to 24,000 residents across 10,500 households. Orders are made through the Starship food delivery app, which is available for download on iOS and Android. Groceries are picked fresh in two local Co-op stores in Sale (Washway Road and Coppice Avenue) and delivered locally, quickly and conveniently on-demand in minutes.

Today’s launch in Greater Manchester continues Starship’s recent expansion across the north of England. The company’s robots are already a familiar and popular sight in several other UK towns and cities including Milton Keynes, Northampton, Bedford, Cambourne, Cambridge and Leeds. 

The robots were officially launched at Co-op on Coppice Avenue today. © Trafford Council

Cllr Stephen Adshead, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Environmental Services, said: “We are excited to be working with the Co-op and Starship Technologies to launch this new initiative in the Sale area. The robots are a lot of fun and it will be great to see them taking to the streets of the borough. But there is a more serious message here - Trafford Council is totally committed to helping the environment and reducing our carbon emissions and the electric robots could well contribute towards those aims. So, instead of driving to the Co-ops involved in the scheme, why not leave the car at home and have your groceries delivered by a friendly robot?”

The autonomous delivery service will be available to 24,000 residents across 10,500 households © Starship Technologies

Andrew Curtis, UK operations manager at Starship Technologies, said: “We are very pleased to offer the benefits of autonomous delivery to thousands of residents in Greater Manchester from today and continue our expansion in the north of England. The robots provide ease and convenience for people, while also making a positive contribution to reducing congestion and carbon emissions. We are confident that the service will be well received and look forward to a long-standing relationship with Trafford Council to hopefully roll the service out further in the months ahead.”

Chris Conway, eCommerce director, Co-op, said: “Co-op stores are well placed in the heart of local communities to provide quick, easy and convenient home deliveries - whether a full shop or last-minute top-ups. We are committed to exploring new and innovative ways to increase access to our products and services, and are delighted to be able to roll out autonomous robots to the streets of Greater Manchester.”

The robots use a number of sensors and 12 cameras to enable them to navigate. They travel at walking speed, around 4mph, with their advanced technology even enabling them to manoeuvre around objects and people. Although a few locals did witness one of the trial robots get stuck on navigating a kerb! 

As the robots complete their deliveries, they are able to sound a loud alarm if someone attempts to tamper with or pick them up. Each robot is also GPS-tracked and the lid is also locked throughout the delivery journey, only able to be unlocked by the customer at the delivery destination, who can track the robot on their phone.

Keep an eye out for these little robots through the streets of Sale!