Kroger announced the construction of its first of 20 robotic warehouses to reinforce home grocery delivery in the Cincinnati suburb of Monroe. The operation will begin from here 2021.

The Cincinnati-based supermarket chain will spend $ 55 million to build this facility, which will create 410 new jobs.

Called the Customer Order Processing Center, the site will be highly automated with "innovative robotic technology, enabling next-generation automated storage and retrieval". Also called "hangar", the center will measure 335,000 square feet, two to three times the size of the typical Kroger market.

Earlier this year, Kroger partnered with UK-based grocer Ocado to expand digital shopping for customers in the United States.

Ocado is a grocery retailer in the UK without physical stores. It provides all the shopping via a van from a network of 20 automated warehouses.

"We are extremely pleased to be working with Ocado to transform the industry," said Rodney McMullen, CEO of Kroger. "This Kroger hangar, powered by Ocado, will accelerate our ability to provide our customers with everything, no matter when and where."

McMullen added that investment in advanced technologies continues to grow Kroger's demand for employees with digital skills. Earlier this year, the company announced the creation of a separate downtown in downtown Cincinnati. digital seat at Atrium Two on Fourth Street. Downtown, Kroger's Consumer Insights division, 84.51 °, is the digital brain behind its customer analytics and loyalty program.

"Kroger is committed to helping Cincinnati and Ohio position itself as a destination for digital and technological talent," McMullen said.

Kroger said the alliance would give him "advanced online ordering, automated fulfillment and home delivery capabilities" with an American network of 20 warehouses over the next three years.

Kroger has stepped up its digital and home distribution strategies since last year, when its new emerging rival, Amazon, has launched into the sector with the takeover of Whole Foods by a $ 13 billion equity. of dollars.

In 2018, Kroger has expanded several of its digital initiatives:

• In August, Kroger announced plans to expand its home delivery partnership with Instacart to cover more than half of its stores across the country.

• Also in August, Kroger announced the signing of a pact with Alibaba's Internet giant for the sale of grocery products in China. In the same month, Kroger announced its Cincinnati Direct Ship Delivery service; Louisville, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; and Houston.

• In June, Kroger announced a pilot project to test driverless grocery delivery in Phoenix.

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