When Kroger announced in 2018 that it intended to develop a nationwide network of robotic e-commerce fulfillment centers in partnership with British warehouse automation technology specialist Ocado, the supermarket chain’s bold bet that online shopping would play a significant role in consumers’ lives in the years ahead sent shockwaves through the grocery industry.
The buildout got off to an energetic start in 2021, when Kroger debuted its first customer fulfillment center in Monroe, Ohio, not far from the company’s hometown of Cincinnati. Kroger continued to open new warehouses and other facilities in the network at a brisk pace until late 2023, when it decided to hold off on building additional sites to see if the facilities it had completed until that point met performance standards. In a sign that the project was facing mounting headwinds, Kroger closed three spokes the following May, and has not opened any additional facilities since then.
Ocado indicated in early 2025 that Kroger intends to open CFCs in North Carolina and Arizona 2026, but Kroger cast doubt on the future of the initiative in September, when the company announced plans to conduct a “full site-by-site analysis” of the network it has built with Ocado. In November, Kroger said it would close CFCs in Wisconsin, Maryland and Florida in 2026 in a move that will also result in the closure of spokes that work with those facilities.
Grocery Dive created this tracking tool to chronicle the development of Kroger’s automated e-commerce network and has updated it to reflect the closures the company has announced. Check back for updates as the nation’s largest grocer continues to refine its approach to using automation to fulfill online grocery orders.
