The Kroger Co. announced sweeping changes this week, unveiling plans to shut down its Florida delivery services and close fulfillment centers.
The company plans to nix a high-tech distribution facility in Groveland, Lake County, a move that will eliminate an estimated 1,000 to 1,400 local jobs.
While Kroger has not specified an exact shutdown date, the company expects the center to halt operations in a matter of months.
Kroger’s delivery service appeared to be on the upswing for some time, with the company’s vans appearing with some frequency on the streets of St. Johns County and beyond.
But Kroger said the closures were deemed necessary following an evaluation of its e-commerce operations.
The company said it intends to expand partnerships with Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats.
Kroger said it will take a roughly $2.6 billion hit in impairment and other charges in the third fiscal quarter of 2025 due to the closures and anemic performance of its delivery model.
Kroger employs roughly 400,000 people and runs more than 2,700 stores across 35 states.
