Walmart started testing grocery delivery by drones in North Carolina using equipment from Flytrex, the same day British grocer Tesco, that country’s largest retailer, revealed plans for its pilot in Ireland next month with partner Manna. Walmart drones will deliver “select grocery and household essential items,” the company said in a blog post, while Tesco’s innovation director Claire Lorains said its trial will deliver only some grocery items within 30 minutes to an hour of ordering. (Reuters)

Talking point: Grocers have worked hard to strengthen their e-commerce offerings in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic amplified that process as shoppers scaled back on store visits. Traditional grocers also face increasing competition from Amazon, which the Federal Aviation Administration designated as an “air carrier” recently allowing it to begin a trial program for drone delivery in the U.S. Amazon announced its drone program, dubbed Amazon Prime Air, in 2013, but it and all other companies exploring this type of delivery continue to face regulatory hurdles.