Kroger Expands Fulfillment Network in Ohio

Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. announced May 25 the addition of a "spoke" facility in Central Ohio. The facility, measuring 61,000 square feet, will be located on Shook Road in Lockbourne in the Columbus area. The grocery retailer said the facility will employ up to 200 associates and will collaborate with the fulfillment hub in Monroe, Ohio, and serve as a last-mile cross-dock location allowing the fulfillment network to reach customers up to 200 miles away from the hub.

"We're proud to expand the Kroger fulfillment network in our home state," said Gabriel Arreaga, Kroger's SVP and chief supply chain officer, in a statement. "The new service is an innovative addition to the expanding digital shopping experience available to Kroger customers.”

Arreaga said Kroger’s delivery business continues to accelerate with the growth of fulfillment and spoke facilities.

“This expansion will further our commitment to create career opportunities and serve shoppers fresh food fast through interconnected, automated and last-mile solutions across America," Arreaga said in a statement.

Kroger, which last month launched its Restaurant Supply Service in Dallas, said it is continuing to provide its anything, anywhere, anytime offerings.

"When our customers think of food, they think of Kroger,” Arreaga said. “The addition of a spoke facility in the Columbus division is one more state-of-the-art example of how Kroger is fulfilling its commitment to providing our customers anything, anywhere, anytime."

Kroger said the opening of the Columbus area fulfillment center follows on the heels of its e-commerce paid membership program Boost. “ For either $59 or $99 per year, Boost provides customers access to benefits like free delivery and 2 fuel points for every $1 spent on groceries and general merchandise purchases through delivery, pickup and in-store at your local Kroger,” the grocery retailer said in a statement.

With inflation and labor shortages disrupting the grocery landscape, Jobs Ohio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef welcomed the spoke facility.

"We are proud that the nation's largest grocery retailer is headquartered in Ohio, where Kroger continues to evolve its national growth strategy," said Nauseef. "This new, cutting-edge spoke facility in the Columbus region will connect more people to fresh food, create hundreds of jobs, and bolster efficiencies for Kroger customers in Ohio."