Kroger plans three more Ocado automated warehouses

The Kroger Co. plans to build three new Ocado-powered automated warehouses in the Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest and West regions.

Kroger didn’t yet disclose the specific locations of the robotics-driven customer fulfillment centers (CFCs), which will fill online grocery orders in their respective regions. So far, the Cincinnati-based supermarket giant has announced plans for nine CFCs, with the first slated to open in Monroe, Ohio, in early 2021.

Compared to the previously announced CFCs, which are around 350,000 square feet, the new facilities will be smaller. Kroger said the CFCs will measure 300,000 square feet in the West, 200,000 square feet in the Pacific Northwest and 150,000 square feet in the Great Lakes. The company noted that the different sizes show the Ocado fulfillment ecosystem’s flexibility in serving various markets. Once operational, the new facilities will create more than 1,000 new jobs in total, with the potential for hundreds of additional career opportunities, Kroger said.

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