Ocado builds on Aeon partnership with plans for third robotic warehouse (updated)
08/07/2024 07:45
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LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - British online supermarket
and technology group Ocado OCDO.L said on Monday it had
boosted its partnership with Japan's Aeon 8267.T with plans to
build a third robotic warehouse.
The third customer fulfilment centre (CFC), as Ocado calls
them, will be in Kuki-Miyashiro, the Saitama prefecture of
Japan, and will go live in 2027.
The expansion of the partnership is a boost for Ocado after
it said last month that its Canadian supermarket partner Sobeys
had paused the opening of a fourth robotic warehouse, prompting
a slump in Ocado shares.
Ocado entered an exclusive partnership with Aeon in 2019. A
first CFC in Chiba-city opened last year, serving customers in
the Kanto region. A second based in Hachioji is due to go live
in 2026.
In addition to the network expansion, the partnership will
also see Aeon upgrade its live operations with the latest Ocado
technologies including what it calls "On-Grid Robotic Pick".
Ocado said this will bring increasing levels of labour
productivity to Aeon's operations.
(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Kate Holton)
((james.davey@thomsonreuters.com))