OMAHA, NE - How are dark stores remapping the geography of the grocery retail landscape? For Midwest retailer Hy-Vee, it appears dark stores could be helping it downsize its fulfillment center footprint. Last week, the grocer announced it is shuttering its stand-alone fulfillment centers and instead choosing to stock its Aisles Online orders via its grocery stores—which could include its traditional grocery format or its dark store concept.
“We are listening to our customers and they are wanting a full assortment of products…which we are unable to provide when we process orders at a fulfillment center,” Christina Gayman, Director of Public Relations, shared with KETV NewsWatch 7. “Employees were given 60 days’ notice and our human resources department is working to help employees find other job opportunities.”
Hy-Vee’s fulfillment center operations in Omaha, Nebraska, are slated to close during the week of March 23, 2020.
The grocer operates more than 265 stores across the Midwest, which begs the question of whether or not this restructuring is part of Hy-Vee’s dark store integration. As more retailers make moves like this, AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
