Big plans off the interstate: Here's why Kroger is building a new store in Oldham County

In Oldham County, growth brings a grocery store.

The quickly developing county is getting its second Kroger store, and this one will have one of the only 20-pump gas stations in the state. 

Cincinnati-based Kroger currently has a store in La Grange, but officials said that site – in the Cherrywood Crossing shopping center just off Interstate 71 at Exit 22 – isn't convenient for some residents. So officials are planning a new location in Buckner, off Exit 18, closer to Louisville.

The store will open in late 2023, officials said.

“We really see this as an area that needs a location a little bit closer to some of the folks that live here,” Erin Grant, corporate affairs manager for Kroger, said at a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday. “It’s a growing area and a perfect location right off the highway to be convenient for drivers.”

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Though it was speculated this location would be a Kroger Marketplace, Grant said it would not be as big as a marketplace but still would have just over 100,000 square feet.

There will also be a new prototype fuel station, said Ann Reed, the company's Louisville division president. The fuel station will include 20 gas pumps with a small kiosk where people can go inside to buy some groceries. 

“We’re going to give a fresh, high-quality experience to the residents here,” she said, adding that the 20-pump station was Kroger's first in the commonwealth.

The county is the seventh-fastest growing in the state, according to 2020 census data. It grew 12.1% over the previous decade to 67,607 people, the data shows, and its proximity northeast of Louisville bodes well for further growth.  

Other industries are seeing that trend, too. Baptist Health announced this month that it plans to open a facility in Clore Station, a commercial and residential space that is under development off Exit 14, because of the county's growth.

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In Buckner, Reed said Kroger plans to hire 250 to 300 employees for its new site. This, along with the construction work necessary after the $20 million investment from Kroger, will bring more business into the city of roughly 5,500 people. 

“It would be nice to see this whole exit get a bit more developed to offer more services for our community,” Reed said. 

Gov. Andy Beshear said at the groundbreaking that the state expects "significant economic development right here."

“This is going to be an anchor for this community.” 

Contact Caleb Stultz at cstultz@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Caleb_Stultz.