Kroger Continues Fulfillment Network Expansion into Chicago and Nashville

The Kroger Co. said on Thursday it's adding two additional spoke facilities—one in the Chicago metro area and the other in Nashville—as part of the geographic expansion for the Cincinnati-based grocer.

"Kroger Delivery offers customers a truly differentiated service. Orders are transported in refrigerated trucks and delivered by trained Kroger uniformed associates, giving customers an unparalleled white glove delivery experience," said Bill Bennett, Kroger, VP and head of e-commerce, in a statement. "Kroger Delivery is part of our rapidly expanding seamless ecosystem that provides customers with fresh and quality products when and where they want it–all with zero compromise and at an incredible value."

Kroger Delivery will now reach customers in the Windy City with its 80,000-square-foot facility located in Maywood, 20 miles west of Chicago, the Midwest grocer said in a statement. The spoke facility will work with the fulfillment center in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., and expects to employ more than 180 associates.

Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George Booker said that Kroger’s facility replaces a blighted area while adding new jobs and revenues that aid in the revitalization of the community. "We are happy to welcome a partner that works to address our food desert designation and look to evolving collaboration with them," Booker said.

The 40,000-square-foot facility located on Polk Avenue in Nashville, Tenn., will work with the Atlanta fulfillment center, extending the network’s reach up to 200 miles from the hub.

"Kroger is a household name that we are proud to have in Tennessee, and I thank this company for its decision to create more than 180 new jobs for Tennesseans," said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in a statement. "Our state's central location and skilled workforce will ensure Kroger's success in the years to come."

In other news, Kroger participated in the National Convening to Inform the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. on July 14. The one-day event served “to bring together critical viewpoints to identify and discuss solutions for the crises the nation faces around hunger, nutrition and diet-related chronic disease,” the grocery retailer said in a statement.