Takealot unveils new collection facility in Cape Town and it has robot workers

Retail 10 May 2022

Takealot has launched its new flagship collection facility in Richmond Park, Cape Town.

This comes after the online retailer, recently stopped its collection offering at its Cape Town distribution centre, moving it to the new facility in Richmond Park.

The new facility spans 1,560m2 with an adjoining warehouse space of 4,611m2. It also houses 569m2 office space and boasts the latest in distribution centre technology and innovation which features automated guided vehicles — robots called “Weasels” — collecting packages and bringing them to waiting customers.

According to Takealot, these ‘little robot helpers’ are designed to guarantee the safe transport of packages and that it has only ever been used in non-consumer-facing environments across the world and are, for the first time, delivering parcels into customers' hands at the Richmond Park collection point.

"With the support of AGVs, Takealot staff are able to offer an even quicker, yet still personal collection experience," Takealot said in a statement.

"With an average collection time of just three minutes, these 'little robot helpers' guarantee safe transport of packages from behind the scene into shoppers' hands," the company said.

The centre also comes with as advanced sign-in, name recognition, and hassle-free returns that can be done substantially quicker with more convenience.

Another added bonus is that standard and next-day collections are free of charge at the new flagship Richmond Park Takealot Pickup Point.