Thursday, March 14, 2019

Kroger, Nuro Expanding Robot Delivery To Houston

Need groceries delivered from your local Kroger? That delivery might just be via robot, after Kroger and robotics startup Nuro said this morning that they are expanding Nuro's robot grocery delivery service into Houston, the company's second market. Silicon Valley-based Nuro currently is running a pilot in Phoenix, Arizona, and said on Thursday that it is now planning an expansion in Houston.

The robotic grocery delivery service will initially be available from just two, Houston-area Kroger stores. Nuro's automatic robots move groceries directly from Kroger stores to residences. The two stores include Kroger's 10306 South Post Oak Road store, delivering to the 77401 and 77096 area codes, and Kroger's 5150 Buffalo Speedway store, serving the 77005 and 77025 area code. Kroger and Nuro said it will start its service in both stores sometime in spring, with orders available for delivery 7 days a week. Kroger has 102 stores in the Houston market.

Nuro just received a huge funding round from Softbank, pulling in $940M from SoftBank Vision Fund. The company's other investors include Greylock Partners and Gaorong Capital. Nuro has now raised more than $1 billion.

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