Kroger Closing 3 E-Commerce Fulfillment Facilities
The Kroger Co. has come to the end of the road with three of its e-commerce fulfillment sites. Cross-docking spoke facilities in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, as well as one in Miami, are set to close on May 25, with a spokesperson for the grocer saying they “did not meet the benchmarks we set for success.”
“Kroger’s commitment to innovation means that we test and learn quickly to identify the most effective ways to deliver fresh, affordable food to our customers,” said the spokesperson, adding that despite its best efforts and support from new customers, the facilities did not see the type of success the grocer expected.
According to the spokesperson, Kroger remains committed to growing its e-commerce offerings and delivering fresh food to more communities across the United States, and the closures will not impact its automated fulfillment centers or other cross-docking spoke locations.
The grocer's hub-and-spoke strategy allows it to seamlessly deliver groceries and home essentials to a network of customers who might not otherwise have access to Kroger’s services. Kroger currently operates customer fulfillment center hubs in Monroe, Ohio; Forest Park, Ga. (Atlanta); Groveland, Fla.; Aurora, Colo.; Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; Romulus, Mich. (Detroit); Frederick, Md.; and Dallas.
Customers can still shop Kroger Delivery online if they reside within approximately 90 minutes of the company's Groveland, Fla., fulfillment center, or spoke facilities in Tampa, Jacksonville or Cocoa Beach. Additionally, the Dallas fulfillment center will continue to operate and works in conjunction with its Oklahoma City spoke.
Serving 11 million customers daily through a digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names, Cincinnati-based Kroger is No. 4 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Kroger is also included on PG's Retailers of the Century list.
