Ocado flies to London, signs e-commerce partnership with Asda supermarkets

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Enthusiastic reception at the London Stock Exchange for the partnership signed by Ocado with supermarket chain Asda. Ocado Group and Asda signed 'apartnership agreement to develop Asda's online business in the UK via the Ocado Smart Platform'. Asda,' says a statement, 'is one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK, with a 2025 turnover in excess of £21 billion and around 1,100 shops across the country, and also runs a significant online grocery business, processing over 700,000 e-commerce orders per week.

The main objective of the partnership is to rapidly replace and upgrade Asda's existing e-commerce infrastructure, with Ocado's solutions to be implemented in both physical shops and 'dark stores' from 2027. Asda will be able to offer a full range of online services, including scheduled and short lead-time orders, as well as a 'click and collect' service, and will also use Ocado's platform to fulfil and deliver orders placed through aggregation platforms such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat.

Ocado points out that 'the transaction is not expected to have a significant financial impact in the financial year 2026', adding that it 'expects to generate a positive cash flow in the second half of the current financial year, with a positive cash flow for the full year expected in the financial year 2027'.