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Kroger launches another pair of Ocado ‘spoke’ facilities

New sites extend reach in Nashville and Chicago markets

Russell Redman

August 23, 2022

3 Min Read
Kroger Ocado robots-closeup.jpg
The Kroger Co. has announced 12 spoke sites overall, and nine are now operational.Kroger

Two more automated “spoke” supporting facilities have been opened as The Kroger Co. continues to build out its e-commerce network driven by Ocado Group technology.

Cincinnati-based Kroger said Tuesday that a 40,000-square-foot spoke on Polk Avenue in Nashville, Tenn., and a nearly 80,000-square-foot spoke in Maywood, Ill., are now operational. The spokes serve as a last-mile cross-dock sites for online grocery delivery and help extend the reach of delivery service.

The Nashville spoke will work with Kroger 375,000-square-foot, Ocado-powered customer fulfillment center (CFC) in Forest Park, Ga., in the Atlanta area, increasing the Kroger Delivery network’s reach in greater Nashville to customers up to 200 miles from the CFC hub, which opened this past February.  

Meanwhile, the bigger Maywood spoke will support the Ocado-automated CFC in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., a 340,000-square-foot facility that went live in late June. Kroger said the new spoke will also provide the CFC a 200-mile service radius, enabling Kroger Delivery to reach customers in the Chicago metropolitan area.

“The continued expansion of the Kroger fulfillment network means improved access to fresh food for customers eager for the variety and value offered by Kroger that once could only be accessed through our stores,” Gabriel Arreaga, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer at Kroger, said in a statement. “This network enables Kroger to add scale, achieve reliability of experience, gain from the benefits of automation and ultimately widen our customer reach in current operating regions and new parts of the U.S.”

Related:Kroger goes live with Ocado ‘spoke’ site in Kentucky

Overall, Kroger has announced 12 Ocado-automated spokes of 40,000 to 80,000 square feet, with nine now live. Besides the Nashville and Maywood locations, the operational spoke facilities are in Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville, Fla.; Lockbourne, Ohio; Indianapolis; Louisville, Ky.; and San Antonio. Other spokes are slated to open in Oklahoma City; Austin, Texas; and Birmingham, Ala.

In May 2018, Kroger unveiled an exclusive U.S. partnership with U.K.-based online grocery specialist Ocado to identify sites for about 20 automated CFCs over the ensuing three years. The high-tech CFCs use Ocado’s vertical integration, machine learning and robotics to fill e-grocery delivery orders and extend Kroger’s reach to a larger geographic footprint, including areas where it doesn’t operate brick-and-mortar stores.

So far, Kroger has announced 17 CFCs — ranging from 135,000 to 375,000 square feet — and six are now open. Kroger opened its first Ocado CFC, a 375,000-square-foot automated warehouse, or “shed,” in April 2021 in Monroe, Ohio. That was followed by 375,000-square-foot CFCs in Groveland, Fla., in June 2021 and in Forest Park, Ga., this past February and a 340,000-square-foot CFC in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., in June. Most recently, CFCs of 135,000 and 350,000 square feet went operational in Romulus, Mich., and Dallas, respectively. The Groveland locations marked the first CFC opening in a state where Kroger doesn’t have physical stores (except for one Harris Teeter store in Jacksonville, Fla.).

Related:Kroger automated e-grocery warehouses get under way in Dallas, Detroit

Upcoming Ocado CFCs, Kroger reported, include locations in Frederick, Md.; Phoenix; Charlotte, N.C.; Aurora, Colo.; the Cleveland region; the Pacific Northwest; and the Northeast. The retailer, too, has announced plans for two CFCs in Southern California and two more in Florida.

“Kroger Delivery promises an unparalleled shopping and delivery experience, making fresh just one click away at Kroger.com or the Kroger app,” according to Bill Bennett, vice president and head of e-commerce at Kroger. “From personalized digital offers to our white-glove delivery service, the Kroger seamless ecosystem saves time and money. Kroger Delivery orders are brought to customers in our branded delivery trucks and delivered to their doorstep by our trained and uniformed associates, all with ‘zero compromise’.”

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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