Ocado

Ocado is an internet based grocery retailer in the United Kingdom.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The company was founded during the internet boom by a group of former merchant bankers in partnership with the upmarket Waitrose supermarket chain, and it emphasises this connection in its marketing, despite having a separate brand name. It is not very clear why a new brand name was chosen, when the Waitrose brand is very strong, and marketing the Ocado brand has been very expensive. 46% of Ocado's shares are owned by the John Lewis Partnership which also owns Waitrose which perhaps suggests future growth in non-food products

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In contrast to rival Tesco.com, Ocado operates a warehouse based model. It aims to compete on quality rather than price. As of early 2005 the company is widely reported to be a success measured against analyst expectations, and to be hoping to list on the London Stock Exchange during the year. Turnover is over ?135 million ($260 million) per annum, and it has won several service and quality awards. However it is also reported that it is not yet profitable.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Internet: This article is about the Internet, the extensive, worldwide computer network available to the public. An internet is a more general term informally used to describe any set of interconnected computer networks that are connected by internetworking....

Waitrose: Waitrose is a British supermarket chain owned by the John Lewis Partnership. It originally traded mainly in London and the South East of England, though has expanded further north in recent years....

Supermarket: A supermarket is a store that sells a wide variety of food. Most supermarkets also sell a variety of other household products that are consumed regularly, such as alcohol (where permitted), household cleaning products, medicine, clothes, and some sell a much wider range of non-food products. Superm...