FreshDirect adds micro-fulfillment capabilities for D.C.-area customers

Online grocer FreshDirect is partnering with micro-fulfillment company Fabric to enhance and expand its service to customers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, the companies said today.

Fabric, formerly Commonsense Robotics, is a global micro-fulfillment startup with offices in New York and Tel Aviv. The partnership with New York-based FreshDirect will add robotic micro-fulfillment technology to the online grocer’s regional footprint, giving D.C.-area customers two-hour on-demand delivery as well as next-day service. FreshDirect, which serves customers throughout the Northeast, including New York City, Philadelphia, and D.C., says the project will serve as a blueprint for expansion in other areas of the country.

Fabric offers on-site as well as service-based micro-fulfillment solutions, which are designed to help companies fill orders quickly from small spaces using robotic automation. FreshDirect said it will implement the technology in its existing D.C.-area facilities, speeding delivery to customers in the Washington, D.C., Silver Spring/Potomac, and Vienna/Dulles areas.

“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,” David McInerney, FreshDirect’s CEO, said in a statement Tuesday. “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.”