Walmart Inc. said Thursday it is investing in DroneUp, the drone services provider the company has used since last year in trial deliveries of at-home covid-19 tests.
John Furner, chief executive officer of Walmart U.S., said in a news release that drone delivery out of a store in Bentonville will start in the next few months.
The trial deliveries of the covid-19 test kits "demonstrated we could offer customers delivery in minutes versus hours," Furner said. "Now, after safely completing hundreds of drone deliveries from Walmart stores, we're making an investment in DroneUp to continue our work toward developing a scalable last-mile delivery solution."
Furner did not say how much money Walmart is investing in DroneUp, which is located in Virginia Beach, Va.
The Bentonville-based retailer has also used Israeli drone delivery firm Flytrex to test delivery of groceries and household goods in a North Carolina city.
Other retailers testing drone delivery over the past couple of years include pharmacy chains Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and CVS Health Corp.