Kroger opens high-tech fulfillment center in metro Atlanta
Kroger is continuing to grow its fulfillment and delivery service footprint, with the metro Atlanta area being the latest. Shortly after the grocery giant announced its new fulfillment center in Louisville, KY, a new facility opened in Forest Park, GA. Both facilities are powered by Ocado Group, a leading provider of grocery and e-commerce technology.
The retailer also expanded late last year in Indianapolis and North Carolina, enhancing its ability to deliver fresh foods and private brand products to shoppers across the country.
"We're proud to launch Kroger Delivery in metro Atlanta with future expansion plans throughout Georgia and beyond, a true milestone moment further accelerating our ability to provide our customers with fresh food on their doorsteps and create more job opportunities," said Gabriel Arreaga, Kroger's senior vice president and chief supply chain officer. “This group's collaboration and commitment has provided the infrastructure to advance an innovative and industry-leading e-commerce operation, providing groceries to homes across the region, including in communities without physical stores."
After placing an order via Kroger.com or the Kroger app, customers in regions where a Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC) is located have groceries delivered by a Kroger Delivery associate in a temperature-controlled van. Kroger Delivery is a vertically integrated network, enabling coverage of up to 90 miles from the hub location in Forest Park. As customers' orders near their delivery times, automated bots inside the facility retrieve products from The Hive which are presented at stations for items to be sorted for delivery.
Once completed, orders are loaded into a temperature-controlled Kroger Delivery van, which can store up to 20 orders. Machine learning algorithms optimize delivery routes, considering factors like road conditions and optimal fuel efficiency to ensure the most effective service.
"Kroger and Ocado are revolutionizing the online grocery landscape across the U.S.,” said Luke Jensen, CEO of Ocado Solutions. “This CFC brings some of the most innovative technology available anywhere in the world to the heart of Georgia, enhancing Kroger's online ecosystem in the state, and delivering a market-leading quality of service online to Kroger customers here. It is also generating amazing opportunities for engineers based in Atlanta to work with cutting-edge robotics and AI systems, enabling essential grocery services for communities across the state.”
The Forest Park location joins CFCs in Groveland, FL and Monroe, OH. The fulfillment network plans additional Customer Fulfillment Centers in California, Dallas, TX, Frederick, MD, Phoenix, AZ, Pleasant Prairie, WI, Romulus, MI, as well as southern Florida and the northeast.