New job: Ocado Retail appoints Hannah Gibson as CEO September 7, 2022 Ocado’s online grocery business has appointed Hannah Gibson as new CEO, as the company hopes to retain consumers amid the cost of living crunch. Gibson will take up her position on 20 September, stepping into the shoes of Melanie Smith, who left in July, Ocado Retail announced on Wednesday morning. She has spent more than [...]
Ocado appoints CEO to head up new technology division to focus on robotics handling July 28, 2022 Online grocer and tech firm has appointed its current chief operating officer to a new role as top boss of a new Ocado division. Mark Richardson will step into the newly-created role of CEO as a new business which will extend Ocado’s “product offering into new market sectors alongside grocery.” The upcoming launch of products [...]
Ocado losses swell as shoppers add less items to their baskets amid cost of living crunch July 21, 2022 Ocado has posted swelling losses after shoppers have added less items to their shopping baskets following the cost of living crunch and easing of lockdown restrictions. Losses widened to £211m, from £27.9m the year prior, for the six month period to 29 May, as customers tightened their purse strings as inflation surged past new 40-year [...]
Ocado Retail boss to step down as online grocer begins hunt for new CEO July 19, 2022 Ocado Retail has said its CEO Melanie Smith will step down next month, after three years at the helm of the business. Former deputy CEO of the company, Lawrence Hene, will take over on an interim basis while a hunt for a permanent replacement takes place. The supermarket has struggled with waning average basket spending [...]
Ocado buys robotics start-up for $10.2m as online retail giant eyes automating grocery pick-ups May 23, 2022 Online grocer Ocado has inked a deal to buy a materials handling robotics start-up for $10.2m. In a deal worth the equivalent of £8.11m, Ocado has agreed to buy Myrmex, it announced on Monday. The UK supermarket snapped up a minority stake in the Athens-based firm in 2020. Myrmex was instructed to develop a programme [...]
Ocado pays out £20k following fire safety resignation April 17, 2022 Ocado is set to fork out £20,000 in damages after a former employee raised alarms about warehouse fire safety issues. The company is facing allegations that the worker was forced out of his job after he said the cardboard materials and pallets blocked fire exits. The Telegraph reported that court documents said a “witch hunt” [...]
Shoppers spend less at Ocado after offices reopen and Covid measures ease March 17, 2022 Ocado customers are spending less through the online grocery delivery service as pandemic habits return to normal. In an eight week trading update, Ocado said its average basket size came in at £124, 15 per cent lower than last year. This was reflective of changing shopper behaviours as customers return to physical supermarkets and offices. [...]
Ocado shares plummet 10 per cent as investors show anxiety towards ‘resilient’ growth February 8, 2022 Ocado’s shares are taking a beating this afternoon, with investors appearing unimpressed by group revenue and international expansion. Despite the online retailer reporting that group revenue was up 7.2 per cent to £2.5bn for the full year, shares plummeted as much as ten per cent this morning. It comes after Ocado, which is a 50:50 [...]
Open warfare: Ocado claims Autostore is lying while rival says online grocer’s IP rights are ‘invalid’ January 31, 2022 The war of words between Ocado and its rival Autostore reached new heights today as Ocado accused Autostore of misleading investors over its legal battle with the online grocer in Germany. Autostore issued an update on the Norwegian stock market on Monday claiming that a judge in a Mannheim Court said Ocado’s intellectual property rights [...]
Ocado anticipates ‘best-ever Christmas’ as it eyes new Zoom site openings December 14, 2021 Ocado has forecast its “best-ever Christmas ahead” and said it anticipated mid-teens sales growth for 2022. In a trading update for the 13 weeks to 28 November, the grocer said there was “strong momentum in under-lying demand”. It posted retail revenue of £547.8m for the quarter. This was compared to £570.1m in the same period [...]