Kroger to open new high-tech customer fulfillment center in Phoenix

PHOENIX — Grocery retail giant Kroger announced on Thursday that Phoenix will be the location of a new high-tech customer fulfillment center.

Kroger has partnered with Ocado — a grocery e-commerce technology company — in order to accommodate online customers at any time.

The 200,000-square-foot facility will create nearly 700 jobs and become operational two years after the site breaks ground, according to a press release.

“We are excited to see the potential of an estimated 700 jobs within its first five years of operation,” Mayor Kate Gallego said in the release.

“These jobs include but not limited to transportation, warehousing, robotics and technology, which are four of Phoenix’s workforce strengths.”

The customer fulfillment center is an “automated warehouse facility with digital and robotic capabilities” that will serve customers across both Arizona and the southwest region.

“With Kroger, we are developing a game-changing ecosystem for serving online grocery to customers across the United States,” Ocado CEO Luke Jensen said in the release.

“This includes Ocado’s automated [customer fulfillment centers] across a range of sizes, as well as software to optimize fulfillment in stores for curbside pickup.”

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