Kroger offers delivery in Denver with new fulfillment center
- Kroger opened a new fulfillment center in Aurora, Colorado.
- The facility will facilitate delivery to customers in the Denver metro area.
- Kroger’s fulfillment centers are powered by technology from the Ocado Group.
Grocery delivery from Kroger is now available to consumers in the Dever metropolitan area.
Kroger in a March 21 release said the delivery was supported by a new customer fulfillment center it opened in Aurora, Colorado. The facility employs more than 200 workers, the grocer said, and Kroger plans to employ more than 400 people at the facility in the future.
Customers in the area can order for delivery food items that range from produce to products from its owned brands, according to the release. Other items available from the approximately 300,000-square-foot facility include home essentials. Delivery is available to customers located up to 90 minutes from the facility, the release said. Kroger says deliveries are furnished along optimized routes and in temperature-controlled vans, which will help ensure freshness when orders reach customers.
Kroger doesn’t operate any namesake banner stores in Colorado. Instead, it owns and operates the King Soopers and City Market banners, which have locations across the state.
"This facility is not only an incredible investment to our local economy but also a great convenience, providing a delivery option to those in our community who may have mobility issues, or simply lack the time to go into a physical location,” said Steve O'Dorisio, the chair of the Adams County, Colorado, board of commissioners, in the release. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Kroger and supporting their efforts to bring affordable, high-quality groceries to our community."
Shoppers who register for Kroger’s Boost by King Soopers annual membership, which offers tiers that cost $59 and $99 annually, will get unlimited free deliveries for orders that cost at least $35, the release said.
Kroger’s customer fulfillment facilities are powered by technology from the Ocado Group, a U.K.-based company specializing in e-commerce grocery delivery. Kroger and the Ocado Group first partnered in 2018 to use artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and automation in Kroger’s fulfillment and spoke centers. At “hub sites,” more than 1,000 robots navigate a 3D grid called “The Hive,” which has bins that get filled with products to be delivered to customers, according to the release.
Kroger is the largest supermarket operator in the U.S. and last year it announced plans to merge with rival grocer Albertsons. Earlier this year, Kroger expanded delivery to customers in South Florida, where it doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar presence.