ShopRite advances omnichannel operations

Keasbey, N.J.-based ShopRite’s parent company, Wakefern Food Corp., is advancing its omnichannel operations with an autonomous fulfillment center.

The company announced it’s opening a fulfillment center in Clifton, N.J., that leverages hyperlocal, automated technology from Takeoff Technologies. Known as micro-fulfillment centers (MFCs), the facilities are designed to leverage automation at a hyperlocal scale.

According to a recent press release, Wakefern intends to utilize the new MFC to expand its capabilities to support its ShopRite from Home program, which currently offers pickup and home delivery services across most ShopRite store locations, under a scalable model. The new fulfillment center will serve select ShopRite stores operated by Wakefern member Inserra Supermarkets in North Jersey and New York. Customers will continue to place orders through ShopRite from Home in the same manner.

The automated technology uses advanced robotics in the fulfillment center, where orders of up to 60 grocery items can be assembled in minutes. The ultimate goals of the pilot are to increase speed and lower costs for retailers while improving the overall customer experience for online grocery shopping.

Takeoff Technologies and Wakefern launched their partnership this month with the opening of the new fulfillment center in Clifton, and an agreement in place to open additional sites in the future.

“We are excited to partner with Takeoff Technologies to see how their hyperlocal automation technology will benefit our cooperative, retail members and shoppers,” said Steve P. Henig, Wakefern’s vice president of digital commerce and analytics.