Kroger and Nuro announced March 14 that their autonomous grocery delivery service will be expanded to Houston following a successful pilot in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The service will be available this spring through two Houston Kroger stores, reaching customers in four local zip codes. Store one is located at 10306 South Post Oak Road servicing 77401 and 77096; the second is at 5150 Buffalo Speedway, servicing 77005 and 77025.
Customers will be able to place orders for delivery seven days a week. They can shop via Kroger.com or the Kroger app and place orders based on slot availability. Grocery orders can be scheduled for same-day or next-day delivery by Nuro’s fleet of self-driving vehicles, beginning this spring with Nuro’s self-driving Toyota Prius vehicles. The price is $5.95; no minimum order.
As in Scottsdale, Kroger and Nuro will begin service in Houston with Nuro’s self-driving Toyota Prius fleet.
The companies say the next generation of the custom driverless vehicle will be rolled out later this year.
Scottsdale customers will continue to have access to delivery through Kroger’s established service available through frysfood.com.
Kroger and Nuro launched their self-driving grocery delivery service in Scottsdale last September, servicing one zip code. In late 2018, the partnership expanded to include Nuro’s custom vehicle R1, marking the nation’s first fully unmanned delivery service available to the general public. Through the pilot, Kroger and Nuro say they have successfully and safely completed thousands of deliveries to customers in Scottsdale.
“We’ve seen firsthand in Arizona how enthusiastic customers are about getting their Kroger groceries delivered by a Nuro self-driving vehicle,” said Nuro co-founder Dave Ferguson. “Texas has been a leader in encouraging self-driving innovation, and we’re excited to help deliver that future for Houston—a dynamic, diverse, and welcoming metropolitan city that we’re excited to soon explore and serve with this autonomous delivery service.”
“Our Arizona pilot program confirmed the flexibility and benefits provided by autonomous vehicles and how much customers are open to more innovative solutions,” said Yael Cosset, Kroger’s chief digital officer. “It’s always been our shared vision to scale this initiative to new markets, using world-changing technology to enable a new type of delivery service for our customers. We operate 102 stores in Houston—an energetic market that embraces digital and technology advancement. The launch is one more way we are committed to sustainably providing our customers with anything, anytime, and anywhere, the way they want it.”
Customers across greater Houston will continue to have access to the grocery delivery service currently offered by Kroger.
