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H Mart plans micro-fulfillment center to fuel online grocery

Automated facility to support delivery and pickup for Asian-American grocer

Russell Redman

March 30, 2021

2 Min Read
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For H Mart, the AutoStore MFC solution stands to boost online fulfillment of a range of packaged groceries plus fresh and frozen products.H Mart

Asian-American supermarket chain H Mart has tapped robotics specialist AutoStore to power a micro-fulfillment center (MFC) to process online grocery orders.

Norway-based AutoStore said Tuesday that it’s working with integrator Bastian Solutions to develop a fully automated MFC to support H Mart’s online grocery operations in Carlstadt, N.J. Like other retailers during the pandemic, H Mart has seen a surge in online grocery ordering and aims to increase capacity.

“Hmart.com has proven to be an important offering to our customers. Hmart.com enables our customers to experience the food that lets them feel at home, just as when they shop in-store,” H Mart Executive Vice President Vince Colatriano said in a statement. “We’ve partnered with the best automated technology in the field to fulfill our orders quickly and efficiently. We’re excited to work with Bastian Solutions and AutoStore to deliver the highest-quality Asian products to our customers.”

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AutoStore is working with integrator Bastian Solutions to build a fully automated MFC (see rendering above) to support H Mart’s online grocery operations in Carlstadt, N.J.

Including AutoStore’s robotics and WMS technologies, the MFC solution is designed to boost fulfillment efficiency for a range of packaged groceries plus fresh and frozen products. AutoStore noted that MFC is scalable and can be installed at the back of a store, allowing the retailer to cut the average distance between the facility and customers and provide both on-demand delivery and in-store pickup services. Pickup kiosks also can be offered at the MFC.

Related:H Mart teams up with Shipt for online grocery delivery

“H Mart’s investment in e-grocery automation will not only help the bottom line of their online business but will also benefit their customer base as a whole,” according to Mike Demko, the head of AutoStore’s MFC business line. “We’re excited to work with Bastian Solutions in providing H Mart a solution that gives them greater operational efficiency and order accuracy, so customers receive exactly what they ordered. 

Lyndhurst, N.J.-based H Mart operates 97 stores in 14 states and offers both traditional Asian and American groceries, including fresh produce, meat, poultry, seafood and ready-to-cook items.

The chain offers online grocery delivery through its H Mart Online and H Fresh services, with the latter providing door-to-door delivery of fresh meat, produce, seafood, eggs, milk and other perishables to selected ZIP codes in New York City and northern New Jersey. H Mart began providing third-party same-day delivery via Shipt last fall, and it has offered Instacart delivery since 2016, later expanding the service chainwide in June 2019.  

“As a global partner, we’ve worked on numerous installations that are successfully operating with the award-winning AutoStore system,” stated Aaron Jones, president of Indianapolis-based Bastian Solutions. “We look forward to integrating AutoStore’s robotics and e-grocery WMS with H Mart’s operations for faster order fulfillment and increased customer satisfaction.”

Related:With MFCs, retailers look to fill a growing need

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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