The Save Mart Companies is First U.S. Grocer to Launch Contactless Robotic Grocery Delivery Service with Starship Technologies

MODESTO, Calif., Sept. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Save Mart Companies today has announced the launch of an on-demand grocery delivery service to its customers at the Save Mart flagship store in Modesto in partnership with leading robot delivery company Starship Technologies.  The Save Mart Companies is the first grocer in the U.S. to partner with Starship Technologies. The debut of the advanced contactless delivery service embraces the flagship store's role as an innovation lab and precedes the one-year anniversary of the store's celebrated opening in October 2019. Based in San Francisco and a leader in the field, Starship Technologies recently passed the 500,000 autonomous deliveries milestone. Based in San Francisco and a leader in the field, Starship Technologies recently passed the 500,000 autonomous deliveries milestone.

"We continually seek new ways to serve our communities and offer solutions for efficient, safe and healthy grocery shopping," said Robert Cady, senior director of marketing strategy and analytics for The Save Mart Companies. "Through our partnership with Starship Technologies, Save Mart is pleased once again to lead the way in customer service and innovation."

"With the onset of the pandemic, our service became increasingly important to thousands of residents in communities across the U.S.," said Ryan Tuohy, SVP Business Development at Starship Technologies. "Save Mart is a loved brand that has deep ties to its local communities, which is why we're especially excited about this partnership. Working together with The Save Mart Companies, we are able to provide a safe, convenient and well-priced delivery option for tens of thousands of residents."

The robots, each of which can carry up to 20 pounds of groceries – the equivalent of about three shopping bags – and can travel up to four miles roundtrip, provide a safe, low-cost and contactless delivery alternative for Save Mart shoppers, allowing them to order from thousands of items via the Starship app platform for on-demand delivery straight to their home.

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its robots have completed over 500,000 autonomous deliveries and crossed more than five million streets. The robots move at pedestrian speed and use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. A team of humans can also monitor their progress remotely and can take control at a moment's notice.

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About Save Mart
With a storied legacy of agricultural expertise in the heart of the Central Valley, Save Mart is "Valley Proud" and benefits from longstanding partnerships with local producers and purveyors who help ensure all 83 stores are stocked with fresh, competitively priced products every day. Save Mart is a banner under The Save Mart Companies (TSMC) that operates 206 stores throughout California and Northern Nevada. Additional store banners include, Lucky, Lucky California, FoodMaxx and Maxx Value Foods. In addition to its retail operation, TSMC also operates Smart Refrigerated Transport and is a partner in Super Store Industries (SSI), which owns and operates a distribution center in Lathrop and the Sunnyside Farms dairy processing plant in Turlock. For more information on The Company and Save Mart stores, please visit: www.TheSaveMartCompanies.com and https://www.savemart.com/.

About Starship Technologies
Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries with autonomous robots. The robots are designed to deliver food, groceries and packages locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles and met millions of people across 100 cities around the world. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. Former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO.

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SOURCE The Save Mart Companies