Nov. 18, 2025 2p
(WGTD)---An automated grocery fulfillment center in Pleasant Prairie--built less than five years ago--is closing.
Kroger's facility on Highway H is one of three such automated fulfillment centers around the country that will close in February. The others are located in Frederick, Maryland and Groveland, Florida.
According to previous reporting by WGTD, Kroger announced in Nov. of 2019 that it planned to build a 350,000 sq. ft. center in Pleasant Prairie and employ as many as 400. It was the sixth such center in the U.S. built by Kroger and British-based Ocado where robots would pick and pack grocery items for delivery.
But Kroger said earlier this fall that for many orders, it's faster and cheaper to fulfill them in stores.
Kroger is the parent company of Pick 'n' Save.
In a news release Tuesday, Kroger also said it's expanding partnerships with third party delivery companies, including DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart.
According to a notice filed Tuesday with the state Department of Workforce Development, 211 employees will lose their jobs with the Pleasant Prairie closure, including 81 delivery drivers and 73 "personal shoppers."
-0-