Kroger Ending Grocery Deliveries in Florida
| published November 27, 2025 |
By R. Alan Clanton Thursday Review editor
Grocery retailer Kroger is shuttering its operations in Florida after a four-year venture into the grocery deliver business. In statements publicly and privately, Kroger officials acknowledge the company had faced significant struggles competing with other delivery services, and an inability to crack the substantial delivery footprint already established by Publix in many parts of the Sunshine State.
The Cincinnati-based Kroger has said its sprawling facility in Lake County, Florida will remain functional for now, but that most deliveries will end in February of 2026, and in other areas as early as January 6. Other Kroger fulfilment centers will also close by the end of February. The massive shutdown will eventually result in the loss of thousands of jobs statewide, and at least 1,400 at Kroger's huge hub at Groveland, near Orlando.
Kroger has no retail locations in Florida, but the company aggressively entered the home delivery food business--a process which accelerated greatly during and after the pandemic--and the Groveland hub served home delivery markets across much of the state. Other smaller facilities impacted by the closures are in Cocoa Beach, Jacksonville, and Tampa. In 2024, Kroger shut down much of its delivery operations in South Florida.
News of the closures came in mid-November when the company notified the state of Florida of its intentions to shutter operations pursuant to the Worker Adjustment and Training Notification Act.
Though Kroger does not operate using the Kroger banner in Florida, the company has owned Harris Teeter since late 2013, and a Harris Teeter grocery store opened in Fernandina Beach, Florida this year, the chain's first foray into the state. More Harris Teeter stores are slated to be built in Duval County and St. Johns County in the near future, a suggestion that Kroger's strategy in Florida may include a much larger traditional retail footprint.
In the meantime, officials in Lake County say the closure amounts to a breach of contract. The county says it offered massive incentives to Kroger when it agreed to place its operations hub in Groveland, and that Kroger is shuttering its operations there four years into a 10-year commitment, effectively creating a shortfall for the city and county of over $1 million in expected revenue.
City and county officials also say they are concerned about the impact to the local economy when more than one thousand employees lose their jobs in February. Though about two thirds of the impacted employees are drivers, many more work at the 375,000 square foot Groveland hub or at one of the other support locations.
As for the delivery business, Lakeland-based Publix remains popular throughout the state of Florida, and Publix has a longstanding relationship with other delivery-only companies, such as Instacart.
Kroger sent messages to all its customers earlier in November explaining that delivery services are ending in many areas. We don't make these decisions lightly, and we understand the impact this has on our customers and communities.
The emails and messages are offered refunds of some membership fees, and included an unlimited-use free delivery coupon valid through January 6, 2026.
Kroger is also closing similar hub operations in several other locations, including in Frederick, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; and Pleasant Prairie Wisconsin.
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