Cincinnati-based supermarket Kroger is to build a new US$175m distribution centre in the Atlanta suburb of Forest Park. The 1m-square-foot complex will service existing operations in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Kroger said the new centre, which is due to open in September 2015, “will improve efficiencies, help the economy in the communities we serve and deliver products to our stores much more quickly”.
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said it made sense for the retailer to expand in Georgia. “Georgia is the ideal location for Kroger to establish its newest distribution facility,” he stated. “Our interconnected highway and railway system, low cost of doing business and highly skilled workforce create a solid foundation to better serve Kroger's markets in the Southeast.”
Kroger currently employs more than 24,000 people in the state of Georgia. The company's existing operations include two food manufacturing facilities, distribution centres and numerous retail locations.
