Takeoff Technologies, Wakefern Food Corp. launch automated micro-fulfillment center in New Jersey

E-grocery solutions provider Takeoff Technologies has partnered with retailer-owned grocery cooperative Wakefern Food. Corp. to launch an automated micro-fulfillment center (MFC) for e-grocery fulfillment in Clifton, N.J., the companies said this month.

The MFC uses advanced robotics technology to increase the speed and lower the cost of fulfilling online grocery orders, the companies said. New Jersey-based Wakefern said the MFC integrates with and enhances its existing e-grocery platform, ShopRite from Home, which lets customers place orders for home delivery or in-store pickup at most ShopRite grocery stores in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The Clifton, N.J., fulfillment center serves select ShopRite stores operated by Wakefern member Inserra Supermarkets in northern New Jersey and New York, the companies said.

Wakefern and Takeoff announced their partnership earlier this month with the opening of the Clifton MFC, and said they plan to open additional sites in the future. The companies did not specify the locations or time frame for adding MFCs.

The Wakefern partnership is the latest move in Takeoff Technologies' efforts to streamline and automate the e-grocery fulfillment process. The Waltham, Mass.-based company announced a similar partnership with Sedano's Supermarkets last fall, opening its first MFC serving 14 of the grocer's locations throughout Miami.