Coco Delivery Robot Exclusively Launches in London with Deliveroo
Coco Robotics co-founder and CEO Zach Rash announced that Coco is entering the UK, exclusively partnering with Deliveroo and DoorDash. Starting this month in London, the service will expand to Leeds, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, and Stockton.
The company announcement details the first location more specifically. In October, it will launch at Wood Wharf in Canary Wharf, London, followed by expansions to Milton Keynes, Leeds, Stockton, and Nottingham over the coming weeks to months. This marks Coco's entry into the UK and Deliveroo's first autonomous delivery in the country. The partnership builds on existing regional collaborations between Coco and DoorDash, Wolt.
The initial merchants include Patty & Bun, family bakery Signorelli, and café-restaurant Beam. After the service area expands, Ole & Steen, Royal China, and Din Tai Fung will join. When Milton Keynes launches, merchants will include Smoke and Pepper. The robots can travel at a maximum speed of 21 km/h and carry up to four 18-inch pizzas at a time, operating electrically on short-distance and urban sidewalk routes. Human riders will still complete the majority of orders.
To establish operations, local warehouses and dedicated charging facilities will be built, creating jobs in operations, maintenance, and logistics. Several local authorities have expressed their support. Deliveroo CEO and DoorDash International head Miki Kuusi stated that London is the birthplace of Deliveroo, and the first autonomous delivery in the UK will take place here before expanding to more towns under an exclusive agreement.
Previously, sidewalk robots in the UK were primarily dominated by Starship, with partners including Co-op, Uber Eats, and Just Eat. Coco has secured exclusivity with Deliveroo this time. Rash noted that there is significant interest in the UK, aiming to provide lasting value to local merchants and communities, and offering more reliable delivery options for more businesses.
This is an exclusive capacity, not a rider reduction. The buyers are customers ordering from Patty & Bun and Beam at Canary Wharf, while the sellers are Deliveroo merchants handing short-distance orders to the robots. The beneficiaries are Coco, which gains exclusive access in the UK, and short-distance stores less affected by fluctuations in rider supply. The pressured parties are the human riders who still handle the majority of orders, as well as Uber Eats and Just Eat, which are already tied to Starship and do not have this new exclusivity.
Source: Public Information
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Coco was founded by Zach Rash and Brad Squicciarini in Los Angeles, focusing on sidewalk delivery robots and not on autonomous vehicles outside sidewalks. After expanding in US cities, they partnered with DoorDash, and in Europe with Wolt. Following DoorDash's acquisition of Deliveroo, the UK entry switched to Deliveroo. The exclusivity in October is about solidifying existing group relationships at Canary Wharf, not finding a new platform.
Funds are allocated for warehouses and charging, not for a nationwide fleet. The initial coverage is limited to a few stores at Wood Wharf, with robots restricted to short distances, carrying up to four 18-inch pizzas at a time, with a speed limit of 21 km/h. Human riders still handle the majority of orders. Coco keeps charging and maintenance local with a depot, focusing on operations and maintenance jobs. The merchant list expands from Patty & Bun to Din Tai Fung, validating known restaurants rather than deploying empty vehicles first.
In comparison, Starship has already partnered with Co-op, Uber Eats, and Just Eat in the UK, primarily in university campuses and convenience stores. On the other hand, Amazon has scaled back after testing its Scout robot for sidewalks in the US. Coco is in a phase of urban expansion: having established fleets in the US and Europe, the UK is about switching the exclusive platform from DoorDash to its UK brand. Municipal councils are still in talks, and the licensing scope is not granted nationwide at once.
Structurally, this represents a restructuring of the industry chain. The last mile for short distances is split from rider time into platform orders, robot capacity, and municipal licensing. Deliveroo retains merchants and customers, Coco retains vehicles and charging, and municipal councils retain road rights. The exclusivity locks Deliveroo's short-distance growth for Coco, while Starship continues to serve the other side of the platform. Riders are not removed from contracts; they simply have an additional capacity that does not charge by the order during peak short-distance times.
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- Exclusivity locks orders, not road rights.
- Short distances are assigned to robots, while long distances remain with riders.
- Warehouses and charging are prioritized for local establishment, with a nationwide fleet discussed later.