In Ocado’s first-quarter trading update of the year, the retailer says it is ‘primed to thrive in a post-Covid world’, as shoppers continue to feed the online retail boom.
Retail sales were reportedly up again – by 39.7 per cent to £599 million, for the 13 weeks to 28 February 2021.
Reflecting what Ocado calls a “dramatic and permanent shift”, the retailer says we’re already well on the way to online becoming the “new normal” for grocery shopping.
Average order numbers were also reported to have increased by 2.5 per cent to reach 329,000 per week, compared to the previous year.
Ocado expects positive revenue growth to continue in to the second quarter, as it continues to ramp up capacity at its new mini Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) in Bristol. Plus, restrictions on social distancing are also still ongoing in the UK, it notes.
Other developments for the year ahead include plans to open two standard sized CFCs, while around a dozen new micro sites are being sought, primarily in London, to support the roll-out of Ocado Zoom, which aims to offer deliveries within one hour of ordering.
Tim Steiner, CEO of Ocado Group and Chairman of Ocado Retail, said: “Over the last twelve months, there has been a dramatic and permanent shift towards online grocery shopping around the world. Millions of customers have experienced online grocery shopping through the pandemic and many of them will not be going back to bricks and mortar.
“As we progress towards a new normal for grocery retail, and the focus for the industry shifts from meeting unprecedented demand to winning in a large and growing online channel, the need for a fulfilment solution that both delights a more knowledgeable customer, and enables profitable, sustainable growth, has never been more critical.
“This is the solution that Ocado’s partners are now rolling out in many countries across the world. The first international partners to go live, Sobeys and Groupe Casino, have reported a very encouraging customer response and we look forward to the official opening of the first Customer Fulfilment Centres for our US partner Kroger in the coming weeks.”
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