Cooperative group Co-op has partnered with Starship Technologies and Leeds City Council to expand autonomous online grocery deliveries in Leeds, UK.

The expansion follows the successful pilot of the delivery service launched in November last year.

The service, initially available to 20,000 residents within the Adel and Tinshill districts of Leeds, will now be expanded to another 12,000 households in communities in the Kippax and Swarcliffe areas of the city.

Fresh groceries from local Co-op stores will be delivered by Starship’s battery-powered robots for a minimum fee of £0.99 ($1.27).

Customers can order groceries through the Starship food delivery app, which is available for iOS and Android users.

The robots use sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and a computer vision-based navigation system.

Co-op e-commerce director Chris Conway said: “Co-op stores are well placed in the heart of local communities to provide quick, easy and convenient grocery home deliveries for time-pressed shoppers – whether that is a full shop or for last-minute top-ups and forgotten items.

“We are committed to exploring new and innovative ways to increase access to our products and services, and delighted to be able to roll out robot deliveries to provide further online flexibility and choice for consumers across Leeds.”

The expansion of robot deliveries in Leeds comes following the launch of the service in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in May this year.

The robot grocery delivery service was also launched in Greater Manchester in March 2023.