Kroger Launching eCommerce Marketplace

Indianapolis, IN (August 12, 2020) - The Kroger Company, America’s largest grocery retailer, announced Kroger Ship will expand to offer an extended ship-to-home assortment through a marketplace offering of third-party sellers powered by Mirakl, the leading software platform enabling B2C and B2B digital marketplaces.

“Our customers are increasingly turning to our e-commerce solutions provided at Kroger.com for their grocery and household essential needs. To better serve our customers, we’re continuing to invest in technology that enables us to expand our digital services to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere,” said Jody Kalmbach, Kroger’s group vice president of product experience. 

“Leveraging Mirakl’s best-in-class marketplace solution, we are broadening Kroger’s ship-to-home capabilities by offering more relevant products for our customers through exciting new partnerships with reputable third-party sellers.”

Kroger Ship, which launched in August 2018, will offer customers an extended aisle of products made available through marketplace partners. Initially, more than 50,000 additional items will be available to customers across multiple categories, including natural and organic, international food, specialty items, housewares and toys.

“Kroger has long been a retail giant, and by integrating an online marketplace into its leading eCommerce experience, Kroger is continuing to lead from the front,” said Adrien Nussenbaum, CEO and Co-founder of Mirakl. “It’s clearer than ever that digital marketplaces are the foundation of the next generation of commerce, and we look forward to supporting Kroger as it takes advantage of this opportunity.”

Kroger’s marketplace products are expected to launch this fall. Eligible Kroger.com orders earn loyalty rewards like fuel points.

“The expansion of our Kroger Ship platform will continue to bring together our industry-leading customer insights and merchandising data to offer our customers a digital shopping experience that includes staples available in our physical stores as well as products that are exclusive to Kroger.com,” said Stuart Aitken, Kroger’s senior vice president and chief merchant and marketing officer. “As part of our continuing transformation, we look forward to accelerating the development of our e-commerce platform and providing our customers with even more choices.”

Kroger’s strategic investments in e-commerce technology and channels over the past two and half years under Restock Kroger have positioned the company to more effectively respond to the sustained, increased demand of delivery, pickup and ship-to-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOURCE: Kroger

New Technology To Fight Covid-19

Beech Grove, IN (August 12, 2020) - Purdue University and LED lighting manufacturer Energy Harness have announced a ceiling-mounted ultraviolet (UV) system called Active-Airflow that is intended to deactivate pathogens including the novel coronavirus. Energy Harness intends to have systems available for two Central Indiana school districts before classes restart.

The integration of UV-C sources in air-circulation systems has great promise, especially given the growing knowledge about the dangers of airborne spread of the coronavirus. One obvious possibility is installing UV-C systems in HVAC equipment, and Utility TVA is offering incentives for customers that install such systems. The Energy Harness approach is independent of the HVAC system, but still uses active air handling to draw room air into the unit.

“We have demonstrated and studies have shown the effectiveness of UV-C light in killing the COVID-2 family of pathogens,” said Patricio M. Daneri, managing director of Energy Harness’ Midwest division. “Our Active-Airflow unit provides the added advantage of safe usage during the school day in occupied classrooms. The unit has a fan system to draw in the air, where it is cleaned and then cycled back into the room.”

The LEDs in the unit radiate in the 260–280-nm range — wavelengths known to have germicidal efficacy. Ultimately, germicidal efficacy is based on UV-C dosage, which is a function of UV-C power per area multiplied by exposure time. So in this instance, the key factors would be the radiometric output of the UV-C LEDs (168W) and the airflow (116 CFM).

The company states the UV dosage to be 12,000 to 18,000. Energy Harness said that each unit can disinfect a 256-ft2 space. That would typically mean multiple units in each classroom in a school setting.

Beech Grove City Schools Install System

Beech Grove City Schools will have 15 units scattered throughout its five buildings—in the nurses’ stations and select classrooms, Director of Operations Tom Gearhart said. Beech Grove had worked with Energy Harness to replace its fluorescent lights in classrooms and hallways “and have been very satisfied with them as an organization.” So when Daneri told district officials about the UV-C fixture, they were interested.

The Active-Airflow system is being installed in schools that are part of the Beech Grove City Schools and Franklin Township Community Schools districts in Indiana. “We have had success working with the Energy Harness team before and are excited about this new technology product to help keep our community safe,” said Tom Gearhart, director of operations for the Beech Grove City Schools.

SOURCE: Energy Harness