Kroger breaks ground in Central Ohio on one of largest stores in Midwest

Central Ohio continues to be a gravy train for Kroger, and construction of one of the largest grocery stores in the Midwest is on pace to open next year, reports Columbus Business First.

The $38 million Marketplace store at Jerome Village in Union County will be the first net-new location for Kroger in the area since 2009.

The 123,000-square-foot store will employ 350 workers. Kroger ranks as the seventh-largest employer in Central Ohio with almost 11,000 employees.

Population, community needs, and high visibility on a main street in the area are among the reasons Kroger cited for the new store in the town of Jerome Village. Demand is another, as the next closest grocery store is about eight miles away. 

“The residents in this community want a grocery store and we’re going to give them our largest, most state-of-the-art Marketplace,” Dana Zurcher, president of Kroger’s Columbus division, said.

The Cincinnati-based grocer has continued to invest in the Ohio region, including $164 million used for construction, remodels, and improvements over the last five years.