Coles expands drone-delivery service into southeast Queensland
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Coles has announced it will offer drone delivery of groceries to customers’ homes in South East Queensland, with a trial set to launch next week. The supermarket chain will be the first major retailer to offer drone delivery, partnering with drone company, Wing, to launch the new service.
From Wednesday, November 2nd, 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.
Coles is the first major Australian retailer to trial the new ‘store-to-door’ drone delivery model, with a dedicated fleet of Wing delivery drones to be co-located in the Coles store car park.
Coles team members will process and pack orders, and 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-ever 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,” Mr 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.”
The Coles drone delivery expansion into Queensland follows a pilot program launched in Canberra earlier this year, where Coles co-located its products at Wing’s drone delivery facility.
Since the Canberra pilot program began in March, more than 5,000 Coles deliveries have been made through Wing, with some of the most popular items including fresh fruit, milk, bread, and eggs, along with confectionery, snacks, and cold drinks.
“Coles team members will process and pack orders, and Wing staff will load the drones and oversee operation of the delivery service.”
As part of the expansion into South East Queensland, Wing will also soon be offering Coles items for delivery from the rooftop of Grand Plaza in Logan, Queensland, where it has been operating a drone delivery service for selected on-site businesses, for just over a year.
Wing Australia General Manager, Simon Rossi said the company was 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,” Mr 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.”
Customers can download the Wing app (available from the App Store or Google Play), enter their address, and add items to their cart before submitting their order for fulfilment.
Upon arrival, the drone hovers in the air and slowly lowers the package to the ground at the customer’s delivery location for a contactless delivery.
Wing drone delivery from Coles in Ormeau will be available from 9am to 4:30pm Tuesday to Sunday.
Questions & Answers
Q.Which specific areas in Southeast Queensland will be the first to receive this new drone delivery service?
Which specific areas in Southeast Queensland will be the first to receive this new drone delivery service?
Initially, customers in the Gold Coast suburbs of Ormeau, Ormeau Hills, and Yatala will be able to use the service. Coles plans to gradually expand this to include other nearby suburbs in the future.
Q.What kind of items will be available for customers to order through the drone delivery service?
What kind of items will be available for customers to order through the drone delivery service?
Customers can choose from 500 popular Coles grocery items. This includes bread, fresh produce, convenience meals, snacks, health care items, and essential household goods.
Q.How will the responsibilities for operating the new drone delivery service be split between Coles and Wing?
How will the responsibilities for operating the new drone delivery service be split between Coles and Wing?
Coles team members will handle the processing and packing of orders. Wing staff will be responsible for loading the drones and overseeing the entire delivery operation of the service.
Q.When will the drone delivery service from the Coles Ormeau Village store be available to customers?
When will the drone delivery service from the Coles Ormeau Village store be available to customers?
The drone delivery service from Coles in Ormeau will operate from 9am to 4:30pm, Tuesday to Sunday. The trial is scheduled to launch next week, starting on Wednesday, November 2nd.
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