HMart Adding AutoStore MFC to Support E-Commerce

The leading Asian grocer HMart is transforming its e-commerce solutions through installation of a fully automated microfulfillment center in Carlstadt, N.J.

The retailer is partnering with Norwegian tech company AutoStore and supply chain integration partner Bastian Solutions on the project, using AutoStore’s robotics and efficient goods-to-picker system. HMart is based in Lyndhurst, N.J.; its associated importing and distribution company, Grand BK, has headquarters in Carlstadt.

HMart EVP Vince Colatriano, who told WGB in a recent interview that the chain was looking to take e-commerce “beyond Instacart,” in a statement said the new AutoStore facility would allow the chain to tackle e-commerce demand more efficiently. The chain currently has a ship business and in-store e-commerce available through Instacart.

“Hmart.com has proven to be an important offering to our customers. Hmart.com enables our customers to experience the food that lets them feel at home, just as when they shop in-store. We’ve partnered with the best automated technology in the field to fulfill our orders quickly and efficiently. We’re excited to work with Bastian Solutions and AutoStore to deliver the highest quality Asian products to our customers,” Colatriano said.  

“HMart’s investment in e-grocery automation will not only help the bottom line of their online business but will also benefit their customer base as a whole. We’re excited to work with Bastian Solutions in providing HMart a solution that gives them greater operational efficiency and order accuracy, so customers receive exactly what they ordered,” said Mike Demko, the head of AutoStore’s MFC business line.

AutoStore in the past year has announced fulfillment center installations for Ahold Delhaize USA’s Giant Co. and Texas retailer H-E-B.

“Projects like these will change retail forever, and we are very pleased that HMart chose AutoStore and Bastian Solutions to deliver the future of e-grocery,” said Karl Johan Lier, CEO of AutoStore. 

AutoStore’s MFC solution is flexible and scalable and can even be installed at the back of a store. This enables retailers to reduce the average distance between an MFC and their customer, allowing for both in-store pickup and rapid home delivery. The AutoStore system is one of the most efficient automation solutions available for order fulfillment in e-grocery—where storage density, operator productivity and lead time are critical.

“As a global partner, we’ve worked on numerous installations that are successfully operating with the award-winning AutoStore system. We look forward to integrating AutoStore’s robotics and e-grocery WMS with HMart’s operations for faster order fulfillment and increased customer satisfaction,” said Aaron Jones, president of Bastian Solutions.