Kroger Delivery and Bonton Farms Launch New Initiative; Ben Hamilton, Keith Shoemaker, and Gabe Madison Comment
DALLAS, TX - A new collaboration between Kroger and Bonton Farms is officially launching its latest initiative, Grocery Connect. Powered by Kroger Delivery, Grocery Connect will address grocery access in food desert communities of South Dallas, Texas.
“Expanding food access is core to our mission at Kroger Delivery, bringing more fresh food to more people,” said Ben Hamilton, Vice President of E-Commerce Supply Chain and Logistics, Kroger Fulfillment. “Through this collaboration, we are able to deepen those efforts and serve more residents in the South Dallas neighborhood of North Texas.”
Through Kroger’s fulfillment center in Southern Dallas, Texas, Grocery Connect customers will receive the same pricing as in-store shoppers would, with access to over 33,000 products.
Keith Shoemaker, President of Kroger’s Dallas Division, weighed in as well.
“Kroger’s delivery footprint allows us to reach more areas without the time and multi-million-dollar expense of building and maintaining a brick-and-mortar grocery store,” said Shoemaker. “Our refrigerated fleet will ensure that the groceries arrive fresh and the ice cream will remain frozen, all with no delivery fees for Grocery Connect shoppers.”
Gabe Madison, President of Bonton Farms, also shared her thoughts on the initiative.
“For decades, initiatives have tried to address grocery access in food desert communities with limited success,” said Madison. “Grocery Connect is a nontraditional approach to solving this issue. It places these communities at the forefront of where significant portions of retail grocery shopping is headed and is a model for the eradication of urban food deserts in the U.S.”
There are currently plans for three Grocery Connect centers in the works. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for the rest!