RetailDetail EU
Europe - EN
  • België - NL
  • Belgique - FR
  • Nederland - NL
  • Europe - EN
  • Newsletter
  • Contact & Route
Members' area
  • Log in
  • Become a member
  • News
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Electronics
    • Beauty/Care
    • DIY/Garden
    • Leisure
    • General
  • Events
    • OVERVIEW EVENTS
    • EVENT PARTNERSHIPS
  • Advertising
    • PRINT ADVERTISING
    • ONLINE ADVERTISING
  • Members’ area
RetailDetail EU
Europe - EN
  • België - NL
  • Belgique - FR
  • Nederland - NL
  • Europe - EN
  • Newsletter
  • Contact & Route
  • News
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Electronics
    • Beauty/Care
    • DIY/Garden
    • Leisure
    • General
  • Events
    • OVERVIEW EVENTS
    • EVENT PARTNERSHIPS
  • Advertising
    • PRINT ADVERTISING
    • ONLINE ADVERTISING
  • Members’ area
Members' area
  • Log in
  • Become a member
thumb
Written by Yoni Van Looveren
In this article
Share article
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

British online supermarket trials self-driving delivery car

icon
Food29 June, 2017

British online supermarket Ocado has trialed its self-driving delivery car for the first time. The car has room for eight orders, and for two drivers that are still present in the car for safety reasons.

Another option

The customer has to extract his order from the car himself: Ocado considers this to be another option, aside from the regular delivery trucks. “There are times when people will want their 50-item delivery brought to the kitchen table; times when they will order online and collect in store; and times when they’re coming back from the airport at three in the morning and just want a few things delivered quickly”, CTO Paul Clarke said. He also feels this is a solution for deliveries in streets and neighbourhoods that are unreachable with larger vehicles.

 

Ocado trialed the car in Woolwich, southeast of London. It is a relatively quiet area and the streets are moderately wide, which lowers the risk for accidents. One employee will tag along to evaluate (and possibly correct) the car’s driving abilities and a second employee will inform customers how to work the new system.

 

Sell to other retailers

Customers that use the self-driving car will get a first message when the car is loaded with their order and a second message when the car is in their street. Subsequently, they have to press a button to unlock their delivery and pick it up.

 

If everything goes well, the system should be fully functional in 2019. Ocado also hopes to sell the system to other retailers, even outside of the United Kingdom.

More on Food
See more
  • icon
    Food28 May, 2025
    Haacht Brewery considers sale after a poor year

    Under pressure from falling sales and a doubling of its loss, the Haacht Brewery is considering its strategic options, including a possible sale. The Belgian brewery group is struggling to respond to changing consumer habits.

  • icon
    Food28 May, 2025
    Aldi and Lidl fight price war in Germany

    After Lidl announced the ‘biggest price cut of all time’ in Germany last week, rivals Aldi Nord and Süd are launching the counterattack in a battle for price leadership that also affects other retailers.

  • icon
    Food27 May, 2025
    Pieter Pot opens first physical store

    Dutch package-free online supermarket Pieter Pot has opened its first physical sales point in Utrecht, where shoppers can buy the most popular products from the range. If successful, the concept will be expanded to other cities.

Events
  • 19
    Jun
    CATEGORY MANAGEMENT CONGRESS 2025
  • 17
    Sep
    CAPTAINS OF RETAIL 2025 – EDITION II
  • 25
    Sep
    RETAIL MARKETING DAY 2025
Most read
  • icon
    Food28 May, 2025
    Aldi and Lidl fight price war in Germany
  • icon
    Fashion7 May, 2025
    Zalando enters Luxembourg market with dedicated webshop and app
  • icon
    Fashion6 May, 2025
    Zalando confirms forecasts after excellent first quarter
  • icon
    Fashion30 May, 2025
    Why Belgian Nike employees fear redundancies
Follow RetailDetail
  • socialFacebook
  • socialTwitter
  • socialInstagram
  • sociallinkedIn
footer-logo
RetailDetail, the leading b2b-retailcommunity in the Benelux, keeps retail professionals up-to-date by means of online & offline publications, retail events, inspiring retail hunts and the unique co-creation platform retailhub, where retailers and their suppliers can experience the future of shopping.
RetailDetail Mailing Address:
Kolveniersstraat 7, bus 26 2000 Antwerp
Visiting address:
Stadsfeestzaal – Meir 78 2000 Antwerp
How to reach us:
Directions
© 2025 RetailDetail
general conditions | privacy policy
Contact us About us info@retaildetail.be
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Accept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the ...
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT