Kroger Opens New Dallas Fulfillment Center

Kroger has opened a new Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC) in Dallas that will utilize advanced robotic technology and give shoppers in the Metroplex access to the company’s Boost by Kroger annual membership program. 

The 350,000 square-foot customer fulfillment center has brought more than 500 new jobs to Dallas and the surrounding communities. The facility will also work in collaboration with spoke facilities located in Austin, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. Each facility will serve as a last-mile cross-dock that will enable Kroger Delivery to expand its services to more customers.  

"Kroger's fast-growing seamless ecosystem takes the promise of zero compromise to the next level, with Kroger Delivery bringing the freshest food and quality ingredients to your own doorstep—when you want it, how you want it," said Bill Bennett, Kroger Vice President and Head of E-commerce. ct and I'm so glad to see the doors open."

This expansion represents an extension of a partnership between Kroger and Ocado. In 2018, the companies announced a collaboration to establish a delivery network that combines artificial intelligence and automation.

At the hub sites, more than 1,000 bots move around giant 3D grids, orchestrated by proprietary control systems. The grid, known as The Hive, contains totes with products and ready-to-deliver customer orders. As customers' orders near delivery times, bots retrieve products from The Hive and present them at pick stations for items to be sorted for delivery, a process governed by algorithms that ensure items are intelligently packed.

Kroger currently operates customer fulfillment centers in Monroe, Ohio; Groveland, Fla.; Forest Park, Ga. (Atlanta); Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; Dallas, Tex.; and Romulus, Mich. (Detroit); with additional customer fulfillment centers slated for California; Frederick, Md.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Cleveland, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Aurora, Colo. (Denver); as well as South Florida and the northeast