NEW YORK, NY & SUNNYVALE, CA - It was back in 2017 that we first reported on Kroger's innovative partnership with Google Cloud. Now, the retailer is strengthening that bond. Google Cloud and Deloitte will be working to increase Kroger's associate productivity across its nearly 2,800 stores nationwide.

"Technology and digital tools are fundamental elements of how Kroger continues to improve the associate experience, which in turn, enhances the in-store experience for our customers. Innovation is a critical component, and execution is even more important," said Jim Clendenen, Vice President of Enterprise Retail Systems at Kroger. "Google Cloud and Deloitte brought us a technology architecture and application framework that we could implement in record time. We're already seeing results across our stores, with associate tasks being optimized and overall productivity increasing."

Kroger recently deployed a variety of Google Cloud data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning tools under an application framework co-developed by Deloitte and Kroger. According to a press release, the new tools are already empowering store leaders and associates to make real-time operational decisions to deliver a better shopping experience.

The new task management application provides Kroger's night crew managers with greater visibility into the volume and type of merchandise arriving on a given day, store staffing information, and stocking needs. Kroger's new store management application empowers store leaders to be less dependent on paper tools. The app provides a standardized audit checklist for store managers and department leaders, helping ensure a high-quality shopping experience for customers.

The Google Cloud technologies used by Deloitte to build a modern, event-driven architecture for the retailer also include:

• Spanner: With Google Cloud Spanner's fully managed relational database, Kroger has been able to build a true event-driven ledger, which enables the company to capture unique events—at different times throughout the day and from different stores—to make better-informed decisions about how to direct associates to be more productive
• Dataflow: Kroger is using Google Cloud's Dataflow, a serverless, fast, and cost-effective data-processing service for capturing and analyzing data from different sources, like labor rates, transportation logistics, sales forecasting, and out-of-stock information

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