Walgreens is set to become the first retailer in the U.S. to test on-demand drone delivery in a partnership with Wing, a drone startup owned by Alphabet.
Deerfield-based Walgreens and Wing announced Thursday that they will offer drone delivery to residents of Christiansburg, VA., where Wing is conducting a drone pilot program. Wing is also doing a separate drone test program with FedEx.
Customers in the pilot area will have access to more than 100 individual Walgreens products, along with pre-built "packs" in categories including allergy, baby, cough/cold, first aid, pain and kids’ snacks. Eligible customers can purchase the items within Wing's app.
Walgreens said prescription medicine is not included in the drone service.
It's not clear how Walgreens and Wing plan to expand access to the drone delivery service, but Walgreens said it is in a "unique position to capitalize on the convenience of drone delivery if and when it should expand, with approximately 78 percent of the U.S. population living within five miles of a Walgreens-owned store."
“Walgreens continues to explore partnerships to transform and modernize our customer experience and we are proud to be the first retailer in the U.S. to offer an on-demand commercial drone delivery option with Wing,” Vish Sankaran, chief innovation officer of Walgreens, said in a statement.
Wing's drones have a range of about six miles and travel up to 70 MPH.
Walgreens' stock was up around half a percent Thursday afternoon.
