MONROE, OHIO — The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) has opened its first customer fulfillment center (CFC) in the country. The 375,000-square-foot facility is located in Monroe, a city north of Cincinnati. The CFC can fulfill thousands of orders per day and has the capability to support fulfillment of pickup orders. Powered by Ocado Group, a grocery e-commerce company, the CFC combines vertical integration, machine learning and robotics with affordable and fast delivery service for fresh food, according to Kroger.
Onsite associates will support delivery operations and help process, package and load orders. The Monroe CFC will employ nearly 400 associates. After placing an order via Kroger’s website or app, customers in regions where there is a CFC will have their groceries delivered by a Kroger delivery associate in a temperature-controlled van. The Kroger delivery network will also continue to leverage stores and third-party partners to deliver certain orders.
In May 2018, Kroger and Ocado formed an exclusive partnership for the rollout of CFCs across the country. The companies also plan to roll out components of the software solutions into Kroger stores in order to support fulfillment of curbside pickup orders. A CFC in Groveland, Fla. near Orlando is scheduled to open this spring. Kroger has previously unveiled plans to open CFCs in Dallas; Forest Park, Ga.; Frederick, Md.; Phoenix; Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; Romulus, Mich.; and the Pacific Northwest and West regions.