Walmart invests in on-demand drone delivery service

Retail giant Walmart has announced its investment in DroneUp - a nationwide on-demand drone delivery service.

The news comes following a trial between the two companies last year which saw the delivery of at home covid-19 self-collection kits. The trail successfully completed hundreds of safe drone deliveries from Walmart stores.

John Furner, CEO and president of Walmart US said in a statement: “Walmart already has a significant part of the infrastructure in place – 4,700 stores stocked with more than 100,000 of the most-purchased items, located within 10 miles of 90 percent of the US population.

“This makes us uniquely positioned to execute drone deliveries, which is why our investment in DroneUp won’t just apply to the skies but also the ground.”

The first operation will happen in the coming months at a store in Bentonville, Arkansas.