Kroger has used partnerships with firms from Ocado to Alibaba to help it quickly transform the customer experience it provides, Kroger Chief Digital Officer Yael Cosset said at the Grocery Shop conference. "We've made a point of staying on strategy and really narrowing the scope of partnerships to make sure they deliver high impact to the customer experience in a short time," Cosset said.
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Kroger and UK-based Ocado have opened the first of up to 20 fully automated fulfillment centers, which use artificial intelligence, robots with totes and a proprietary control system to pick and pack deliveries. "This could not come at a better time and is really helping us accelerate the growth and capture all of that growing demand from our customers," said Kroger's Yael Cosset.
Yael Cosset will become Kroger's chief information officer and an executive vice president, moving up from the position of chief digital officer. Cosset previously oversaw Kroger's analytics division and was a leader for the data analytics firm dunnhumby.
Kroger plans to build the first of its high-tech fulfillment centers from its partnership with the UK's Ocado in the Cincinnati area, executives said. The 335,000-square-foot facility will make extensive use of robots and digital technology to boost efficiency, and is the first of 20 such centers planned by Kroger.
Ahold Delhaize banner Giant Food has completed major remodels on two stores in Virginia that it acquired from SUPERVALU, and will reopen them in the coming days. The stores feature expanded produce and organic sections, hot food bars and full pharmacy services.
Retailers and brands, if you have not identified team members to attend Groceryshop, we hope you do. The final day to apply for the Hosted Program is Sept. 21, so act soon. Apply now.
The FMI track is focusing on the six imperatives for omnichannel success as outlined in the FMI-Nielsen Digital Shopper initiative.
We are looking forward to dynamic speakers at Groceryshop, including: Yael Cosset, chief digital officer, The Kroger Co.; Tim Lowe, president, Lowes Foods; Frank Yiannas, VP, Food Safety & Health, Walmart; Ron Bonacci, VP of marketing and advertising, Weis Markets; Karl Varsanyi, GVP of digital product management, Albertsons Companies; Vivek Kalpande, GVP loyalty, personalization and analytics, Albertsons Companies; David Steck, VP of IT infrastructure and application development, Schnuck Markets; Luke Jensen, CEO, Ocado Solutions; Narayan Iyengar, SVP, digital and e-commerce, Albertsons Companies; Tom Ward, VP of digital operations, Walmart; and Steve Henig, VP Digital Commerce & Analytics, Wakefern Food Corp.
See the full agenda and list of speakers.