ATLANTA, GA - In recent retail news, we learned Kroger expanded its national fulfillment network to Forest Park, Georgia, with the opening of a new Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC) powered by Ocado Group. The grocer will now provide the region with a cutting-edge e-commerce delivery service.

"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. "We greatly appreciate the support of Governor Brian Kemp, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Clayton County Board of Commissioners, and Forest Park Mayor Angelyne Butler. 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."

The opening of the CFC follows the recent introduction of the Boost by Kroger Plus annual membership program to the area.

"Kroger is uniquely positioned to transform grocery e-commerce throughout the region using a vertically integrated network to provide a reliable and consistent fresh food delivery service that repeatedly receives favorable customer feedback like a best-in-class Net Promoter Score," said Bill Bennett, Kroger Vice President and Head of E-Commerce. "Kroger's unique service delivers fresh food, household essentials, and personal care for as little as $6.95."

According to a press release, the new CFC carries thousands of grocery products and can fulfill thousands of orders per day, representing one of the models engineered for the flexible Kroger fulfillment network.

Kroger Delivery is a vertically integrated network, utilizing more than 1,000 bots to sort items for delivery and enabling coverage of up to 90 miles from the hub location in Forest Park.

"Kroger Delivery provides reliably fresh food in a convenient, innovative way. We are excited to deliver Kroger's exclusive brands, including Simple Truth^®, the country's largest natural and organic private label, and Private Selection^® throughout metro Atlanta," said David Matthews, Kroger's General Manager of the Forest Park Customer Fulfillment Center. "The new Customer Fulfillment Center will introduce Kroger Delivery to both existing and new customers, accelerate our e-commerce capabilities, and create hundreds of new career opportunities from our centralized location here in Forest Park."

The launch in metro Atlanta not only marks the expansion of the retailer’s delivery network, but represents an extension of a partnership between Kroger and Ocado.

"Kroger and Ocado are revolutionizing the online grocery landscape across the U.S. 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," said Luke Jensen, Chief Executive Officer of Ocado Solutions.

As Kroger continues to build on its high-tech delivery network, ANUK will be here to report.

Kroger Ocado Solutions