Area Kroger store to test new drone delivery service

CENTERVILLE — The Centerville Kroger grocery store will serve as a test location for the company’s new drone delivery service with orders delivered in as little at 15 minutes, according to a company spokesperson.

The store on South Main Street will be the first pilot store for Kroger to test the service with a second location in California set to start later in the summer, the spokesperson said. Drone Express will be the company partnering with Kroger to fulfill the orders.

The program allows for customers to order items for delivery anywhere, not just to a street address. For example, someone at a park for a cookout could order supplies like sunscreen or food condiments to be delivered directly to them, the Kroger spokesperson said in a media release Monday.

The program will start with Kroger developing bundles of items for customers to open with the weight limit for orders currently set at five pounds. The service is set to launch later this spring. Orders can be placed at Kroger.com/DroneDelivery with some orders delivered in as little as 15 minutes.

“The launch of the pilot in Centerville is the culmination of months of meticulous research and development by Kroger and Drone Express to better serve and meet the needs of our customers,” Ethan Grob, Kroger’s director of last mile strategy and product said in the release.

“Kroger and Drone Express made a great choice in piloting this program in Centerville – a community with a robust business network focused on progress and stability near the birthplace of aviation,” Centerville Mayor Brooks Compton said in the statement. “Families here have the power to transform grocery delivery around the nation and the globe. We look forward to placing our first order.”

Cox Media Group