GNC partners with Zipline to begin drone delivery in Salt Lake City, UT

Zipline drone dropping package. Photo courtesy of Zipline

GNC (Pittsburgh, PA) has announced a partnership with Zipline, described as the world’s largest autonomous delivery system, to offer a fully electric drone delivery option in select U.S. markets.

"Partnering with Zipline is propelling GNC to the cutting edge in the retail category," said Alan Chester, chief supply chain officer for GNC, in a press release. "Drone delivery is an innovative way to make our fulfillment, distribution, and delivery processes more efficient, more effective, and faster, ultimately benefiting our consumers. We're excited for this initial test in one U.S. market while considering domestic expansion."

The company explains that the option will begin in Salt Lake City, UT this summer with Zipline’s Platform 1 long-range delivery system. This features a fleet of small, fixed-wing, fully autonomous aircraft that release packages with parachutes to customers’ yards. GNC says it will begin using Zipline’s newly announced Platform 2 system in 2024. This is designed specifically for urban delivery and claim to use 97% less energy than traditional automotive methods.

"The addition of Zipline's drone delivery within our omnichannel mix allows GNC to continue to optimize its transportation and distribution network for efficiencies," said Chester. "It lightens the burden on our dual distribution centers by leveraging the store-fulfillment model during which our expert coaches package the products and have Zipline deliver them. Plus, by fulfilling orders with products that are already nearby, we can get purchases to consumers faster."