Contractors gained clearance to start moving dirt in spring for an automated Kroger Co. distribution center that is to create up to 400 jobs in Pleasant Prairie.

The facility will handle home delivery of groceries for Kroger, whose store brands include Pick ’n Save and Metro Market. The Pleasant Prairie center, slated to open in spring 2022, is among six automated distribution facilities the retailer is building nationwide. Those are being done in partnership with British online grocer Ocado.

“In one of its warehouses located in Andover, U.K., thousands of robots pack grocery orders and process 65,000 orders per week,” a village staff report said. “The robots move along a grid, communicate with each other and use charging bays to keep their batteries full.”

The Pleasant Prairie building serves Wisconsin, northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. The building’s warehouse will have 300,000 square feet, with a connected, 30,000-square-foot office. Pleasant Prairie’s Plan Commission on Monday approved preliminary site and operational plans.

Read more at the Milwaukee Business Journal.