Governor: Kroger will create 120 jobs in Clayton County

The Kroger Co. will relocate to a new distribution center in Forest Park, creating 120 new jobs and investing more than $175 million over the next five years.

“Georgia is the ideal location for Kroger to establish its newest distribution facility,” Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said in a news release. “Our interconnected highway and railway system, low cost of doing business and highly skilled workforce create a solid foundation to better serve Kroger’s markets in the Southeast.”

Kroger will open a state-of-the-art distribution center on the nearly 1,000-acre Fort Gillem property, a former U.S. Army base. The one-million-square-foot distribution center will service existing operations in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. The new jobs at the Forest Park facility will include warehouse, security, transportation management and other maintenance positions.

“Kroger is excited to close on 253 acres of property to build a new state of the art distribution center,” Glynn Jenkins, director of communications and public relations for Kroger’s Atlanta Division, said in a news release. “The one-million-square-foot facility will improve efficiencies, help the economy in the communities we serve and deliver products to our stores much more quickly. We thank Governor Deal, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Forest Park Mayor [David] Lockhart and the city of Forest Park for supporting Kroger with this project.”