Since November 2022, IKI, a sales line of REWE International, has been testing autonomous vehicles in Vilnius in cooperation with the startup LastMile, which is part of REWE Group, and the startup Clevon. The second test phase has now started.
Compact, autonomous, driverless vehicles are currently rolling through the busy city centre of Vilnius. The so-called "Autonomous Robot Carriers", or ARCs for short, deliver goods from the IKI store directly to customers' doorsteps. The test project is based on close cooperation between the REWE Group sales line IKI, project managers from REWE digital, the startup Clevon and the delivery startup LastMile, which belongs to REWE Group.
Groceries are ordered via the "LastMile" app. The delivery vehicle from the manufacturer Clevon is then filled with products at the IKI store and sent on its way to the customer. The vehicles take part in active road traffic. The first test run with the Clevon robots took place at the end of 2022. The result: an autonomous last mile in grocery retail works in direct road traffic.
The second test phase is now starting, and the delivery robots are now even driving through busy streets in the centre of Lithuania's capital. Maximum safety is ensured: the autonomous vehicles drive at a maximum speed of 25 kilometres per hour. In addition, 360-degree cameras and special sensor technology enable the rolling shopping baskets to move safely.
Nijolė Kvietkauskaitė, CEO IKI Lithuania, observes a dynamic e-commerce market in Lithuania: "Today's customers expect an even more seamless shopping experience - and we are helping to fulfil this expectation with bold technological innovations such as autonomous shops and autonomous cars that deliver purchases quickly, safely and conveniently. We can promise our customers that we will continue to be at the forefront of introducing retail innovations in Lithuania that offer an even better shopping experience."
The international test project enables REWE Group and its Lithuanian sales line IKI to rethink and continuously expand the "last mile" route for customers.
Since 27 June, the autonomous carriers have been delivering groceries for two months in a larger and much busier area than the pilot project. The vehicles are monitored by teleoperators who follow the journey in real time. During the robotics launch, the autonomous carriers drove through a specially designed obstacle course.
Autonomous delivery will be completely free of charge for IKI customers. After ordering, they will receive a text message telling them when the robot will arrive and a code to unlock its door.
The LastMile platform currently has more than 300,000 registered users in Lithuania. They can choose products from more than 40 partner shops with a total assortment of more than 30,000 products. The retail chain IKI, together with the startup LastMile, is part of the international REWE Group. IKI has been operating in Lithuania since 1992 and is one of the largest retail chains there with 237 shops. Clevon has introduced the Clevon 1 model as the first autonomous robot transporter in Europe to offer driverless delivery services on public roads. The company started with DPD (part of LaPoste) and has recently started working with customers such as DHL Express Estonia in Tallinn and IKI shops in Vilnius, Lithuania, delivering groceries.
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