Kroger completely abandons Florida as it loses battle with major supermarket chain
Grocery giant Kroger has announced it is pulling out of Florida entirely.
The company said this week it will close three online-only grocery centers — in Wisconsin, Maryland and Florida — as part of a plan to 'drive profitable sales growth.'
Shutting down the Florida plant in Groveland will see Kroger abandon its last remaining foothold in the state.
The closure, set for January 2026, will affect the 1,400 Kroger employees who work there.
'This is an especially difficult time for employees to hear this news, and our hearts go out to those affected,' the city of Groveland said.
Kroger closed all of its stores in the Sunshine State way back in 1988, but continued to serve Floridians through grocery delivery services in some parts of the state via its automated fulfillment center, which it is now shutting.
In Wisconsin and Maryland, Kroger will continue to operate the supermarkets under its umbrella of brands, including Metro Market and Harris Teeter.
The closure in Florida comes as Kroger's chief competitor, Publix, continues to dominate in the state, operating 880 stores there out of its approximately 1,400 nationwide.
Kroger is closing three fulfilment centers in Florida, Wisconsin, and Maryland (pictured: Ocado technology at a Kroger fulfilment center in the US)
After the Florida facility shuts in January 2026, the grocery company will have no business at all inthe state
Earlier this year, Publix was crowned the best grocery store in the country by Newsweek, beating out Kroger, which came in third place behind Wegmans.
Reddit users acknowledged Publix's win, writing on the forum: 'Publix is breaking out the champagne on this one,' in response to the news of Kroger's latest closure.
'Kroger’s business in Florida is run through online grocery rather than traditional stores,' Neil Saunders, a retail expert for GlobalData, told the Daily Mail.
'This automatically puts Kroger at a disadvantage both because online grocery doesn’t really make much profit and because without stores, the Kroger brand is not always on the radar of consumers.'
'Florida is a very competitive grocery market, and it has some extremely strong players, like Publix,' Saunders continued. 'Kroger hasn’t really been able to make inroads with its online model, and it doesn’t seem to have the ambition to go to the expense and hassle of opening new stores.'
The online-only Kroger facilities closing in Wisconsin and Maryland are located in Pleasant Prairie and Frederick, respectively.
These centers are currently operated by Kroger alongside British online supermarket and technology group Ocado.
Kroger partnered with Ocado in 2018 to deploy the company's smart platform for automated fulfillment centers
The centers are currently operated by Kroger alongside British online supermarket and technology group Ocado
Ron Sargent took on the role of the company's CEO in March 2025
The grocer doesn't expect the closures to have an impact on its core sales.
'eCommerce remains a core part of serving customers who want better value, wide selection and flexible ways to shop,' said Ron Sargent, Kroger's chairman and CEO.
'We are building on a strong foundation with five consecutive quarters of double-digit eCommerce sales growth and increased profitability improvements. We are taking decisive action to make shopping easier, offer faster delivery times, provide more options to our customers, and we expect to deliver profitable sales growth as a result.'
In September, Kroger signaled a potential retreat from investment in automated warehouses. It said it was conducting a 'site-by-site' review of the fulfillment network it had built in partnership with Ocado.
Both companies will continue to operate the remaining five sites in Ohio, Texas, Georgia, Colorado and Michigan, Ocado said.
Over the past few months, Kroger has expanded partnerships with Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats to reach more customers with deliveries in as little as 30 minutes.
Instacart is now Kroger's primary delivery provider on Kroger.com and the Kroger app, and Kroger will be among the first retailers to offer Instacart's AI Cart Assistant on its iOS app.
Kroger also widened its DoorDash partnership, giving tens of millions of shoppers on-demand access to grocery and food essentials through the DoorDash Marketplace.
Additionally, Kroger announced a new customer experience coming to Uber Eats in early 2026, offering grocery delivery alongside restaurant meal orders.
The shuttering of Florida's Kroger facility is expected to impact approximately 1,400 Kroger employees who work there
Kroger currently operates 2,700 grocery stores under various banner names across the US, including Ralph's and Food 4 Less.
There are locations in 35 states, and it is headquartered in Cincinnati. The states with the most Kroger stores include California, Texas, and Ohio.
Earlier this year, Kroger and Ocada announced plans to open two more fulfillment centers — one in Charlotte, North Carolina and one in Phoenix, Arizona — in 2026.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Kroger for comment.
Just months ago, Kroger announced that nearly 1,000 corporate employees would be laid off. '
The layoffs come after the grocer decided to shutter more than 60 underperforming stores by the end of 2026.
Kroger initiated the closures as a way to cut costs following its failed $25 billion merger with Albertsons.
