GROVELAND, Fla. – Community members and local leaders are reacting to what many are calling a devastating economic blow after Kroger announced it will close its Groveland fulfillment facility — a move officials say will eliminate roughly 1,400 jobs and end a delivery service relied on by customers across Central Florida.
The announcement came this week as Kroger revealed plans to close three of its delivery fulfillment centers nationwide.
[WATCH: Kroger ending delivery in Florida, closing Lake County fulfillment center]
The Groveland site, one of Lake County’s largest employers, opened in 2019 after a $55 million investment and initially promised hundreds of jobs. Officials from the company did not give an exact date when the facility would close, but said delivery service would end Feb. 1, 2026.
In a release, the company said that after a recent review, it identified opportunities to “optimize its fulfillment network,” leading to the decision to shutter the facilities.
The city of Groveland released a statement about the center’s closure, saying in part that there are approximately 1,400 Kroger employees at the facility, “many of whom are Groveland residents.”
For many in Groveland, the news came as an unexpected setback.
“This is a hard hit,” said Mitchell Hill, owner of Mitchell Tropical Treats in Groveland. “Very much let down. Where do they go from here?”
[WATCH: Groveland-based trucking company shuts down]
Hill said he expects the closure to ripple through the small-business community.
“I feel the impact because the people in the area support us here tremendously,” he said.
Groveland Mayor made a statement online where he said he was “heart sick,” noting the city gave “pretty steep tax rebates” for the company. He went on to say they would “fight for every dollar” the city invested in the project. We reached out to the Mayor for an interview and were told by city officials he would not be doing interviews as they focus on supporting affected employees while reviewing details.
The closure will also affect customers who have depended on Kroger’s delivery service, including Groveland resident Jennifer Wilson, who said the company’s decision immediately impacted her household.
“It was frustrating because we use that primarily as our grocery delivery,” Wilson said. “Those points also convert into fuel points — getting roughly a dollar off gas.”
Wilson, who has used the service for years, said she wrote a letter to Kroger urging the company to reconsider.
“So, they know it is a valued service, and we want to keep them,” she said. “So we can keep those folks employed and keep the service.”
City officials say they will share updates as soon as more information becomes available.