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Kathleen Martin
Guest
Alphabet Inc.’s drone subsidiary, Wing, is experimenting with launching its aircraft from the roof of an Australia mall only steps from the stores providing goods for delivery.
Wing LLC has made more than 2,500 deliveries from a mall in Logan City to nearby neighborhoods located south of Brisbane, the company said in a press release Wednesday. The test is being done in partnership with Vicinity Centres, which operates shopping malls across Australia.
“For the first time, we are co-locating our drones with businesses at their premises, rather than local businesses having to co-locate their goods with us at our delivery facility,” Jesse Suskin, Wing’s head of policy and community affairs in Australia, said in the release.
The experiment is an attempt to bring the company’s drone-delivery model closer in line with how small businesses normally operate. So far in its Australia pilot program at the Grand Plaza mall in Logan, Wing has been working with businesses selling sushi, juice and tea-based drinks. A pharmacy is also starting to sell over-the-counter medicine and other items, the company said.
While it’s too soon to know whether such an arrangement could bolster sagging brick-and-mortar stores, Vicinity views the partnership as a way to expand its business, Justin Mills, the company’s innovation and information officer, said.
Continue reading: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-06/mall-retailers-get-boost-from-alphabet-drones-delivering-sushi?srnd=technology-vp
Wing LLC has made more than 2,500 deliveries from a mall in Logan City to nearby neighborhoods located south of Brisbane, the company said in a press release Wednesday. The test is being done in partnership with Vicinity Centres, which operates shopping malls across Australia.
“For the first time, we are co-locating our drones with businesses at their premises, rather than local businesses having to co-locate their goods with us at our delivery facility,” Jesse Suskin, Wing’s head of policy and community affairs in Australia, said in the release.
The experiment is an attempt to bring the company’s drone-delivery model closer in line with how small businesses normally operate. So far in its Australia pilot program at the Grand Plaza mall in Logan, Wing has been working with businesses selling sushi, juice and tea-based drinks. A pharmacy is also starting to sell over-the-counter medicine and other items, the company said.
While it’s too soon to know whether such an arrangement could bolster sagging brick-and-mortar stores, Vicinity views the partnership as a way to expand its business, Justin Mills, the company’s innovation and information officer, said.
Continue reading: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-06/mall-retailers-get-boost-from-alphabet-drones-delivering-sushi?srnd=technology-vp
