Pleasant Prairie — The over 330,000 square-foot Kroger fulfillment center near LakeView Technology Academy, at 9091 88th Ave., officially opened Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new operation will fulfill home delivery of everything from groceries to beauty products to the region.
Village President John Steinbrink Sr. praised the collaboration between Kroger and the village, which he said would bring new jobs to the area.
“Kroger is a welcomed community partner, and we look forward to seeing their investment in our community succeed. Our residents will be excited to know a facility in Pleasant Prairie can deliver fresh groceries right to the doorstep of our neighborhoods,” Steinbrink said.
Gabriel Arreaga, Kroger’s senior vice president and chief supply chain officer, said in a statement that the new facility will create nearly 250 jobs and enable Kroger to expand its delivery services in the region.
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“We are thrilled to launch Kroger Delivery in Pleasant Prairie, continuing our long-standing engagement in the state of Wisconsin. Our tradition of fresh is all about our customers, and this true milestone moment incorporates end-to-end cold solutions, including customized refrigerated vans, providing Kenosha County residents with everything fresh, every time,” Arreaga said.
County Executive Samantha Kerkman welcomed the “state-of-the-art” facility to the county, cutting the ribbon along with former Green Bay Packer’s player LeRoy Butler.
“Utilizing the latest robotics and logistics technology, this e-commerce fulfillment center provides a vital role in offering access to fresh food, especially to those residents without easy access to groceries,” Kerkman said. “We look forward to providing the Kroger leadership team with a supportive business environment here in Kenosha County.”
The new facility is part of Kroger’s national “fulfillment network,” a series of highly automated hub sites that utilize robots moving around on a 3d grid, called “The Hive” in releases, containing totes with products and ready-to-deliver orders. The robots take items from The Hive to be sorted before being loaded into delivery vans.
Kroger now has six fulfilment centers including Pleasant Prairie, with another nine planned across the country.
According to a press release from Kroger, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is supporting the project with up to $1.5 million in state tax credits to the Kroger Fulfillment Network and up to $500,000 in tax credits to Ocado Solutions, which licenses grocery fulfillment technology.