(AP) - Kroger said Tuesday it’s closing three automated fulfillment centers as part of an effort to make its delivery operations faster and more profitable.

The nation’s largest grocer said it will close facilities in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin; Frederick, Maryland; and Groveland, Florida, in January. The company said it will monitor the performance of its five remaining facilities.

“We are taking decisive action to make shopping easier, offer faster delivery times, provide more options to our customers, and we expect to deliver profitable sales growth as a result,” Kroger Chairman and CEO Ron Sargent said in a statement.

Kroger partnered with British grocery technology company Ocado Group in 2018 to build warehouses where robots would pick and pack grocery delivery orders. Initially,

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