SAN ANTONIO — In a futuristic-esque way, Kroger is coming to San Antonio through a grocery delivery center known as a hub.
Kroger says the 67,000-square-foot spoke facility, which will be on the northeast side, is pending finalization of lease negotiation and will collaborate with the hub in Dallas.
“Kroger today looks very different than it did in 1883 when we opened our first store. But the core principles that made that store successful –service, selection, value, and our commitment to our customers –remain the bedrock of our business,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chairman and CEO. “I’m incredibly excited for the future of Kroger, and both thriving physical stores and digital solutions are part of it.”
So how will it work?
Kroger explains that after customers put their orders in, robots will use 3D grids, known as The Hive, to put the orders together. As the orders near delivery times, the 'bots' as Kroger refers to them, will retrieve the products and take them to their pick stations to be sorted through for delivery.
So in simpler terms, it's like a curbside service except once the groceries are packed up, they are loaded into a delivery van to be delivered to customers. The vans will go as far 90 miles to deliver orders.
The new center will create 160 jobs and is in partnership with greater:SATX.
“We’re proud to welcome Kroger’s e-commerce-focused delivery model into San Antonio. The facility will be part of a high-tech network that serves the region and employs more than 160 people in our community,” said Tom Long, Managing Director for Industrial with greater:SATX.
There are fulfillment centers all over the country including Dallas. The nearest brick-and-mortar Kroger is in Bryan and many more in the Houston area.