Walmart to Expand Drone Deliveries

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) is bringing drone deliveries to three more states.On Thursday, the big-box retailer said it plans to launch the speedier delivery option at 100 stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa within the coming year. With the expansion, Walmart’s drone deliveries will be available in a total of five states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.Here's how it works: Customers will request a delivery through the app of Wing, the operator who flies the drones through a deal with Walmart. The drone operator will have an up to a six-mile range from stores.Drone deliveries are one of the buzziest examples of Walmart’s efforts to compete with rivals like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) on convenience along with low price. With more than 4,600 Walmart stores across the U.S., the retailer has used its large footprint to get online orders to customers faster. It has an Express Delivery service that drops purchases at customers’ doors in as fast as 30 minutes, along with InHome, a subscription-based service, that puts items directly into people’s fridges. The company began same-day prescription deliveries last fall and has expanded the service across the country.As for the end of the first week of June, WMT shares increased 46 cents Friday to $98.41.