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Kroger Chooses Groveland As Home For E-Commerce Facility

Photo of a prototype customer fulfillment center populated by by robotic equipment courtesy of Kroger, Ocado, and Lake County government
Photo of a prototype customer fulfillment center populated by by robotic equipment courtesy of Kroger, Ocado, and Lake County government

Hundreds of jobs are coming to Lake County, thanks to one of the country’s largest grocery chains.

Kroger has chosen Groveland as home to a massive e-commerce warehouse.

It’s called a “customer fulfillment center” – in other words, if you order Kroger groceries sent straight to your door, this is where they’ll be packed and shipped.

Kroger is partnering with Ocado, one of the world's largest online grocery retailers.

Although some work will be done by “advanced robotics technology” according to a statement, the facility will also create more than 400 high-paying jobs.

And Lake County Commission Chair Leslie Campion says economic development analysts expect a beneficial economic ripple effect.

"For example, the facility itself is 375,000 square feet and it has to be newly constructed, so there will be construction jobs associated with it," explains Campion. "That’s just one example."

Construction begins later this year and is slated to wrap up in 2021.

Nicole came to Central Florida to attend Rollins College and started working for Orlando’s ABC News Radio affiliate shortly after graduation. She joined Central Florida Public Media in 2010. As a field reporter, news anchor and radio show host in the City Beautiful, she has covered everything from local arts to national elections, from extraordinary hurricanes to historic space flights, from the people and procedures of Florida’s justice system to the changing face of the state’s economy.