RALEIGH, NC - As it looks to bolster its fresh food delivery services, Kroger has announced its latest expansion. Recently, the retail chain announced plans for a brand-new customer fulfillment center (CFC) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"The acceleration of our delivery business continues with the development of an additional customer fulfillment center; advancing our commitment to creating career opportunities; and serving shoppers fresh food fast through interconnected, automated, and innovative facilities and last-mile solutions across America," said Gabriel Arreaga, Kroger's Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer. "We thank Governor Roy Cooper for his collaboration and support of this project, and the company looks forward to serving new and existing customers across North Carolina."

The new facility is powered by the Ocado Group and combines vertical integration, machine learning, and robotics to achieve fast and affordable food delivery for its customers.

The center stands at 200,000 square feet and is expected to become operational within 24 months of the groundbreaking, according to a press release. The facility will employ up to 700 associates in the next five years.

"We're excited to come to North Carolina in partnership with Kroger," said Luke Jensen, Chief Executive Officer of Ocado Solutions. "As demonstrated by the two state-of-the-art CFCs already live in other parts of the country, Ocado is helping Kroger to establish a new high bar in the type of quality and service that United States grocery shoppers can receive online. We can't wait for customers across North Carolina to experience online delivery, enabled by Ocado's unique technology."

Curious to see how this recent expansion will bolster the company's standing in the grocery sector? Keep reading AndNowUKnow as we report.

Kroger