Autonomous technology company Gatik has announced a multi-year partnership with Canada’s largest retailer, Loblaw Companies Limited, to deploy a fleet of autonomous delivery vehicles in Toronto, Ontario. This will be Canada's first autonomous delivery fleet.

Starting in January, Gatik will provide Loblaw with a “safe, reliable, contactless delivery solution” for transporting multi-temperature goods from its automated picking facility to retail locations across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

“Loblaw is one of Canada’s leading grocery retailers and we are proud to be selected to play a key role in enhancing the safety and efficiency of its already robust supply chain,” says Gautam Narang, CEO and co-founder of Gatik.

“Retailers know the biggest inefficiencies in their logistics operations often exist in the middle-mile, typically between automated picking facilities and retail locations. This is where Gatik lives and succeeds, and is the reason we’re able to offer immediate value to our customers. We are delighted to partner with Loblaw in addressing this critical piece of their supply chain.”

The announcement follows the successful completion of a 10-month on-road pilot in Toronto that utilized one autonomous delivery vehicle. Gatik equips Ford Transit 350 box trucks with refrigeration units, lift gates, and its proprietary autonomous self-driving software for urban, suburban and highway driving to meet Loblaw’s unique retailing needs.

Gatik will operate its vehicles—five in total—for Loblaw up to seven days a week, 12 hours a day, on five routes operating on public roads with fixed pick-up and drop-off locations. All vehicles will have a safety driver as a co-pilot.

“As more Canadians turn to online grocery shopping, we’ve looked at ways to make our supply chain more efficient. Middle-mile autonomous delivery is a great example,” explains Lauren Steinberg, senior vice president, Loblaw Digital.

“With this initial roll-out in Toronto, we are able to move goods from our automated picking facility multiple times a day to keep pace with PC Express online grocery orders in stores around the city.”

To date, Gatik has completed more than 30,000 revenue-generating autonomous orders for multiple customers across North America.