CINCINNATI, June 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Family of
Companies (NYSE: KR), America's largest grocery retailer, and Ocado
(LSE: OCDO), a world leader in technology for grocery ecommerce,
today announced the continued expansion of their partnership with
plans to construct three new Customer Fulfillment Centers (CFC) in
the Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest and West regions.
"Kroger is incredibly excited to construct three additional
industry-leading Customer Fulfillment Centers across the country in
relationship with Ocado to bring fresh food to our customers more
conveniently 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 these regions, leveraging advanced
robotics technology and creative solutions to redefine the customer
experience."
Kroger has partnered with Ocado to accelerate its ability to
provide customers with anything, anytime, anywhere. The CFC model –
incorporating state-of-the-art automation and AI – will be used to
expand Kroger products to a larger footprint.
The new facility in the West will measure 300,000 square feet,
the new facility in the Pacific Northwest will measure 200,000
square feet, and the facility in the Great Lakes region will
measure 150,000 square feet. The varying sizes demonstrate the
flexibility of the Ocado fulfillment ecosystem to best serve the
respective markets. When operational, the facilities will
collectively create more than 1,000 new jobs, with the potential
for hundreds of additional career opportunities. The exact
locations of the new facilities will soon be announced.
"Kroger and Ocado are building an ecommerce ecosystem across the
U.S. that will deliver unrivalled online experiences to more
customers, in more ways and in more markets," said Luke Jensen, CEO of Ocado Solutions. "Spanning a
range of automated CFC sizes, these three new sites will be key
parts of this growing and flexible fulfillment network. Alongside
the scale and wider benefits of larger CFCs, smaller format and
mini CFCs will allow Kroger to reach more geographies with Ocado's
automation, while also catering to a wide range of options for
delivery."
The newly named locations will complement the retailer's
previously announced CFC sites in Monroe,
OH; Groveland, FL;
Fredericksburg, MD; Atlanta, GA; Dallas,
TX; and Pleasant Prairie,
WI. Kroger plans to open the country's first CFC in
Monroe, OH, a suburb of
Cincinnati, in early 2021.
About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our
Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are, across our family
of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11
million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience
under a variety of banner names. We are committed to 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.