Grocer opens new spoke serving the greater
Austin area and celebrates
nearly 70 new associates
AUSTIN,
Texas, March 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger
Co. (NYSE: KR), America's grocer, today announced the official
opening of a new spoke in Austin,
Texas. This facility opening means customers can tap into
Kroger's incredible selection of fresh items, unique Our
Brands products and favorite national brands, as well as
individualized offers for the groceries most important to their
families – all delivered directly to their door by a friendly,
professional associate. Kroger was joined by the local community to
officially open the spoke and to celebrate its new associates.
![Kroger Delivery driver (PRNewsfoto/The Kroger Co.) Kroger Delivery driver (PRNewsfoto/The Kroger Co.)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2037338/Kroger_Delivery_Driver.jpg)
"Austin is one of
the fastest-growing cities in the country, and we are thrilled
to connect more customers to the Kroger Delivery shopping
experience, which brings thousands of digital coupons, valuable
fuel points and the freshest products directly to customers'
doors," said Rebekah Manis, Senior
Director, Kroger Delivery Fulfillment Centers. "Whether they are
using the Kroger app or browsing our weekly ad at Kroger.com,
customers can enjoy fresh, high-quality, affordable groceries
delivered by best-in-class uniformed drivers."
The 70,121 -square-foot spoke facility located in Austin, Texas will work in conjunction with
the Dallas fulfillment center. All
orders are picked at the products' peak freshness within the
Dallas facility. Associates
carefully assemble orders and place them in climate-controlled
vehicles to travel to Austin. Once
the orders arrive, they are checked and placed on refrigerated
delivery trucks that deliver directly to customers' doors, ensuring
cold and frozen products remain at the perfect temperature from the
supplier to the customer's refrigerator. The facility will employ
nearly 70 associates. Learn more about pursuing a career at Kroger
here.
"Much of District 1 is what the USDA identifies as a 'food
desert' which is defined as an area where residents have limited
options for securing affordable and healthy foods. And although
this Kroger facility will serve all of Austin, it's important to note that its
location is in one of these areas," said District 1 City
Councilmember Natasha Harper-Madison. "I am glad to see Kroger
making this investment in our community starting right here in
District 1 where residents need access to healthy, fresh food."
Austin customers can get more
value when purchasing their favorite items using Boost by Kroger
Plus, the annual grocery delivery membership that can save
customers up to $1,000 per year on
fuel and grocery delivery. Eligible customers can try the Boost
membership with a free 30-day trial and subscribe for as little as
$7.99 a month.
Kroger Delivery Explained
Kroger Delivery CFCs,
powered by Ocado Group have achieved a significant step up in
geographical penetration and in customer satisfaction. Kroger is
bringing these benefits to the Austin area with the Dallas CFC, and to more
U.S. markets.
The expansion to the Austin
area represents an extension of a collaboration between Kroger and
Ocado Group, a world leader in technology for grocery e-commerce.
In 2018, the companies announced a collaboration to establish a
delivery network that combines artificial intelligence, advanced
robotics and automation in a bold new way, bringing
first-of-its-kind technology to America.
The delivery network relies on highly automated fulfillment
centers. At the hub sites, more than 1,000 bots move around giant
3D grids, orchestrated by proprietary control systems. The grid,
known as The Hive, contains totes filled with products and
ready-to-deliver customer orders.
Kroger's end-to-end cold solutions keep groceries fresh once
loaded into a customized refrigerated delivery van, which can store
up to 20 orders. Powerful machine learning algorithms optimize
delivery routes, considering factors such as road conditions and
optimal fuel efficiency. Vans may travel up to 90 minutes with
orders from the hub and spoke facilities to make deliveries.
Associates at the spoke facility will deliver orders within their
service area, adding ZIP codes as demand grows.
Kroger currently operates customer fulfillment centers in
Monroe, OH, Groveland, FL, Forest Park, GA (Atlanta), Pleasant
Prairie, WI, Dallas, TX,
Romulus, MI (Detroit), Aurora,
CO and Frederick, MD, with
additional customer fulfillment centers slated for California, Phoenix,
AZ, Cleveland, OH,
Charlotte, NC, as well as
South Florida and the
Northeast.
Media Assets
To download Kroger Delivery photography
and video, visit here.
About Kroger
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 Group
Ocado Group is a UK based technology
company admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange (Ticker
OCDO). It provides end-to-end online grocery fulfillment solutions
to some of the world's largest grocery retailers and holds a 50%
share of Ocado Retail Ltd in the UK in a Joint Venture with Marks
& Spencer. Ocado has spent two decades innovating for grocery
online, investing in a wide technology estate that includes
robotics, AI & machine learning, simulation, forecasting, and
edge intelligence.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.