WASHINGTON, DC - As it continues to build out its capabilities, online grocer FreshDirect has nabbed a new partner. Fabric, which specializes in robots, will help the e-tailer build an automated, robotic grocery e-commerce facility in Washington, DC.

According to an article from The Spoon, Fabric’s robots help create automated systems for shuttling grocery items across a warehouse as the company—in this case, FreshDirect—fulfills online orders. When this new facility opens up later this year, FreshDirect will have an additional 10,000 square feet to help fill roughly 500–1000 orders per day.

Retailers have long been looking at automation to uplift their grocery needs, especially as consumers demand it. Automation is not the wave of the future; it’s how to stay competitive in the present.

As more e-tail competitors start entering the grocery scene, how will this change the way that brick-and-mortar approaches its own e-commerce channels? AndNowUKnow will forever be on the pulse of retail, so stick with us to find out.

FreshDirect