AUSTIN (KXAN) — Kroger expanded its reach in the Austin area Thursday by opening a distribution center in Northeast Austin.

Kroger said the 70,121 square-foot warehouse on Ferguson Lane would work with the company’s Dallas fulfillment center.

According to the Kroger announcement, delivery orders are filled in Dallas and then sent to Austin. Workers at the Ferguson Lane warehouse will check the orders and place them in trucks for delivery to customers’ homes, according to Kroger.

Kroger said the warehouse will employ nearly 70 workers.

According to our partners at the Austin Business Journal, Kroger announced March 4, 2022, it will launch its e-commerce delivery service in the Austin metro, which was expected to create up to 161 jobs.

As ABJ reported, Kroger’s arrival brings new competition to the market for H-E-B, which has mostly dominated the grocery delivery space since it bought Favor in 2018 to help it flesh out delivery service.

As ABJ reported in May, the distribution center is in Northeast Austin, surrounded by warehouses for other companies such as Pepsi, Party Time Beverages and Target Corp.