Wing explores drone delivery from shopping centre rooftops in QLD
This is done in partnership with retail property group Vicinity Centres.
Wing, the drone delivery company operated by Google-parent Alphabet, is exploring a new model that sees it flying goods from retail shopping centre rooftops to homes and businesses as part of a “co-location” strategy.
In partnership with Australian retail property group Vicinity Centres, the company has been piloting the service, which they tout as the first-of-its-kind in the world, from the rooftop of Grand Plaza in Logan, Queensland, since mid-August. Participating QSRs include Sushi Hub, Boost Juice, and Chatime.
In the first six weeks, Wing said it made more than 2,500 deliveries from Grand Plaza to customers in parts of Regents Park, Heritage Park, Park Ridge, Browns Plains, Marsden, Crestmead, and Berrinba. The service will expand to more customers and offer delivery from other businesses located at the centre, it added.
“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 & Community Affairs, Australia, said.
(Also read: Where drones now fit in a QSR’s delivery strategy, according to Wing)
“With the increase in consumers' desire for convenience and speed, on-demand drone delivery can help address the costly last-mile delivery challenge, reduce road congestion and emissions, and create new economic opportunities for businesses by utilising their existing retail space as logistics hubs and fulfillment centres.”
If successful, Suskin said they could potentially roll out similar models in other locations across Vicinity Centres’ retail property portfolio.
Wing marked two years of drone delivery service in Logan last month, having made more than 50,000 drone deliveries in 2021. It is now offering drone delivery to 19 suburbs in Logan, which has a combined population of more than 110,000 people.
