DALLAS, Sept. 12, 2019
/PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), America's largest
grocery retailer, and Ocado (LSE: OCDO), one of the world's largest
dedicated online grocery retailers, today announced Dallas, Texas, as the fifth location for a
Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC).
"Kroger is incredibly excited to construct one of our
industry-leading Customer Fulfillment Centers in Dallas, Texas — one of the largest cities in
America — in relationship with Ocado to bring fresh food to our
customers faster than ever before," said Robert Clark, Kroger's senior vice president of
supply chain, manufacturing and sourcing. "Through our strategic
partnership, we are engineering a model for the region, leveraging
advanced robotics technology and creative solutions to redefine the
customer experience for our customers in North Texas and across America."
"I'm delighted to welcome Kroger's online grocery fulfillment
facility to southern Dallas. The City's competitive incentive
package for Kroger and Ocado Solutions will facilitate the creation
of hundreds of well-paying jobs, engage our education system and
provide a new option for our consumers. The deal shows that Dallas
is truly a 21st century city, and I anticipate the
facility will be a boon to our residents," said Mayor Eric Johnson, City of
Dallas.
"This announcement of Kroger's latest automated warehouse in
Dallas marks another big moment in
the U.S. grocery e-commerce story," said Luke Jensen, CEO of Ocado Solutions. "I'm
delighted we can bring the cutting-edge innovation of the Ocado
Smart Platform to Kroger's operations in such an important
market.
"Kroger and Ocado's partnership is a game-changer in the
fast-developing, global landscape for online grocery. As this site
develops and goes live, it will be instrumental in delivering
fantastic grocery experiences and exciting job opportunities to
households across North
Texas."
Kroger has committed to building up to 20 CFCs, powered by
Ocado, to accelerate its ability to provide customers with
anything, anytime, anywhere. The CFC model – an automated warehouse
facility with digital and robotic capabilities, also known as a
"shed" – will be replicated to serve customers across America. In
June, Kroger broke ground on its first CFC in Monroe, OH and in July, broke ground on its
second CFC in Groveland, FL.
Kroger has also announced plans to build CFCs in Forest Park, GA and in the Mid-Atlantic
region.
The Dallas CFC will measure 350,000 square feet and is expected
to create up to 400 new jobs.
"The Dallas-Fort Worth area is
one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in America and with
this cutting-edge technology, Kroger is confident our partnership
with Ocado will play an integral role in the continued commerce
growth of this dynamic region," added Tom
Schwilke, Kroger Dallas
president. "This transformative fulfillment center will create
local jobs and accelerate Kroger's ability to expand our products
and services to a larger footprint, providing customers with
anything, anytime, anywhere."
The Dallas CFC will be located at Interstate 20 at the corner of
4200 Cleveland Road and 4241 Telephone Road. The CFC is scheduled
to break ground in early 2020 and become operational in the
following 24 months.
To view video and photography of a CFC, visit here.
About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the
Human Spirit®. We are nearly half a million associates who serve
over 11 million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping
experience and 2,761 retail food stores under a variety
of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and
uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To
learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor
relations site.
About Ocado Solutions
Ocado Solutions is responsible
for Ocado's corporate partnerships, providing the Ocado Smart
Platform (OSP) as a service to retailers around the world. OSP
comprises access to Ocado's physical infrastructure solutions,
running highly efficient warehouse operations for the single pick
of products, together with the entire end-to-end proprietary
software applications required to operate a world class online
grocery business. It is underpinned by Ocado's proven expertise and
experience as a dedicated online grocer in the UK.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.