FreshDirect partners with Fabric to expand to Washington, D.C

Bronx, N.Y.-based FreshDirect is enhancing its service offering to the Washington, D.C., metro area.

FreshDirect will expand its service footprint and add on-demand delivery through a new partnership with global micro-fulfillment leader Fabric, according to a news release.

Set to begin in late 2020, the partnership will use Fabric’s robotic fulfillment technology to enable two-hour on-demand delivery of a wide selection of FreshDirect’s assortment to D.C. customers, according to the release.

“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, CEO of FreshDirect, said in the release. 

“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 two-hour on-demand delivery.”

The new upgrades will be rolled out across FreshDirect’s D.C. Metro delivery footprint, which the release said spans the Washington, D.C.; Silver Spring/Potomac and Vienna/Dulles areas.

“FreshDirect is the pioneer of grocery e-commerce in the United States,” Elram Goren, co-founder and CEO of Fabric, said in the release. 

“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.”

The release said FreshDirect thinks the partnership will serve as a blueprint for future service upgrades in other parts of the country. 

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