FreshDirect to Expand Service Offering to Washington D.C. Metro Area to Meet Surge in Online Grocery Demand

Launching in late 2020, this partnership will leverage Fabric’s robotic fulfillment technology to enable 2-hour on-demand delivery of a wide selection of FreshDirect’s assortment to D.C. customers.

Brown Paper Bag 1992913
Pexels

FreshDirect announced that it will be enhancing its service offering to the Washington D.C. Metro Area, enlarging its service footprint and adding on-demand delivery, through a new partnership with global micro-fulfillment leader Fabric. Launching in late 2020, this partnership will leverage Fabric’s robotic fulfillment technology to enable 2-hour on-demand delivery of a wide selection of FreshDirect’s assortment to D.C. customers.

Employing a hub-and-spoke operational structure, with its primary facility remaining at its Bronx, NY headquarters, FreshDirect believes this relationship will serve as a blueprint for future service upgrades as they eye other parts of the country. To that end, this first foray into the automated micro-fulfillment space will drive critical efficiencies, enabling faster service and a substantial increase in order volume capacity.

“Washington D.C. has always been an important market for FreshDirect, and we are excited to partner with Fabric to meet the current surge in demand while improving the customer experience,” said David McInerney, FreshDirect CEO.  “Fabric’s technology will allow us to turn our existing regional facilities into high-velocity automated distribution centers, speeding our expansion into new markets with 2-hour on-demand delivery.”

Designed to meet every customers’ needs, the new upgrades will be rolled out across FreshDirect’s D.C. Metro delivery footprint which spans the Washington D.C., Silver Spring/Potomac and Vienna/Dulles areas. This service will enable customers to order from a wide selection of high-quality fresh food and grocery items within a 2-hour window, in addition to the existing next-day service.

"FreshDirect is the pioneer of grocery e-commerce in the United States,” said Elram Goren, Co-founder and CEO of Fabric. “Now with Fabric's robotic micro-fulfillment technology, purpose-built for on-demand fulfillment, they are positioned to best serve their Washington D.C. customers profitably and at scale. We are thrilled to announce this strategic partnership as one of the first steps in Fabric's continued expansion across the United States."

Latest