Ocado Group PLC

Ocado Group Plc engages in the operation of online grocery supermarket. It operates through the following segments: Retail, UK Solutions & Logistics, and International Solutions. The Retail segment provides online grocery and general merchandise offerings to customers within the UK. The UK Solutions & Logistics segment reflects contracts with the Ocado Retail joint venture and Morrisons, inclusive of both solutions contracts and service agreements with Ocado Logistics for the provision of third party logistics and other services. The International Solutions segment deals with international partners for the provision of Ocado Smart Platform. The company was founded by Jonathan Faiman, Jason Gissing, and Timothy Steiner in April 2000 and is headquartered in Hatfield, the United Kingdom.

Ocado PLC warned that results this year will be hit by additional costs for hiring van drivers and to recover from the fire at its Erith fulfilment centre. Staff shortages will mean extra costs of £5mln and largely for van drivers where hourly rates have risen and signing-on bonuses introduced to attract new staff.

Ocado hit by rising staff costs and fire damage

Before Apple Inc grabs the headlines with its iPhone 13 launch, retailers, particularly grocers, are going to be the main focus on Tuesday morning as supermarket industry data is published, along with a trading statement from Ocado and results from JD Sports. Grocery sales data from Kantar should reveal whether consumers continue to return to pre-pandemic habits and how many are continuing to do their weekly food shop online.

Ocado and M&S in focus as households return to pre-pandemic grocery trends

The FTSE 100 will be in focus on the corporate calendar in the coming week, with heavyweights AB Foods, JD Sports, Ocado and Ashtead set to update investors. Games Workshop, Keywords Studios and Tullow Oil will represent the mid-cap realm, while in terms of economic data we shall see some updates on UK and US inflation, coming after the latest GDP updates.

Big caps in focus in the coming week with AB Foods, JD Sports, Ocado and Ashtead on the corporate calendar

Ocado Group PLC is still the most credible online grocery platform but is facing growing challenges, according to UBS. The FTSE 100 group has a proven profitability model, though it is somewhat specific to the advantages it enjoys in UK, such as a premium position and higher than average baskets.

Ocado still most credible online grocer but facing growing challenges, says UBS

Ocado Group PLC saw its first sales decline on record as UK shoppers are shifting away from online and are going back to the shops. The FTSE 100 grocer dipped 0.7% during the 12 weeks to 8 August, according to the latest Kantar data, though it was compared to a strong expansion last year.

Ocado sees first sales dip as shoppers continue return to pre-pandemic habits

BHP Billiton

A grocery market update on Tuesday will confirm whether weekly shops are still being done online or back in store as investors try to work out what the ‘new normal' looks like in the sector. A month ago, Kantar's monthly basket of supermarket data showed that total till takings had fallen 5.1% in the twelve weeks to 11 July, though spending was still £3bn higher than this time in 2019.

Ocado and supermarket trends, BHP and the mining cycle both in focus on Tuesday

Ocado Group PLC's share price is still “excessively high” according to analysts at Barclays, who on Monday reiterated their ‘underweight' rating on the grocery delivery group and cut their target price to 1,575p from 1,600p. In a note, the bank's analysts said while the extent of the stock's overvaluation is “less pronounced as it was”, flagging previous highs of around 2,900p within the last year, they still saw “a 10% downside” to their new price target.

Ocado share price ‘excessively high', says Barclays

Ocado Group PLC (LON:OCDO) announced that the collision of three bots on the grid was the cause of a fire at its fulfilment centre in South London last Friday. The online grocer said no one has been injured and all staff on site are safe, while less than 1% of the grid was damaged.

Ocado suffers fire at South London fulfilment centre

Ocado Group plc (OCDGF) CEO Tim Steiner on Half Year 2021 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

Ocado Group PLC (LON:OCDO) has signed up another major international partner with Spain's Alcampo chain to use its online shopping platform. Alcampo is owned by Auchan Retail, a global operation with €32bn in revenues.

Ocado sales growth slows as online boom eases

British online grocer and technology group Ocado said it had signed a new agreement with Auchan Retail to use its technology to develop Alcampo's online business in Spain, as the pandemic continues to drive the shift to online grocery buying.

Ocado wins new customer in Spain as pandemic drives online grocery buying

J Sainsbury PLC

Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC (LON:MRW) takeover talk will put sharper focus on Tuesday's updates from UK grocery peers J Sainsbury PLC (LON:SBRY) and Ocado Group Plc (LON:OCDO). Monday's deals saw Morrison shares rise to a premium above the 254p per share, £6.3bn, offer from Fortress Investment as traders position in the hope of a private equity bidding war – after Apollo Global Management confirmed it's considering its own approach, while rejected suitor Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is eyed for a potential new proposal.

Spotlight sharpens on Sainsbury and Ocado in wake of Morrison takeover talk

The week ahead In the UK, we expect to see June period end trading updates begin to emerge. We anticipate interim results from Ocado Group PLC (LON: OCDO) and final results from Ilika PLC (LON: IKA) and Adept Technology Group PLC (LON: ADT).

Ocado is the highlight in a quiet week

Ocado Group PLC (LON:OCDO) is the best long-term hedge against grocery disruption, according to Morgan Stanley, but it has been de-rated recently. Analysts reckon it's been mainly driven by perceived near term downside risks to its UK Retail business, which represents around 20% of the online retailer's market capitalisation, with its Solutions business accounting for the remaining 80%.

Ocado is best long-term hedge against grocery disruption, says Morgan Stanley

Ocado Group PLC (LON:OCDO) moved to the top of the FTSE 100 as US broker Morgan Stanley upped its price target and said the recent fall has been too harsh. Some of the froth was blown off the shares with an update in June where the delivery giant predicted a slowdown in demand for comfort food as COVID-19 restrictions eased and the weather improved.

Ocado ripe for re-rating suggests Morgan Stanley

Ocado Group PLC (LON:OCDO) said the cold May weather, which has hampered post-lockdown recovery in the high street, has lifted customer demand for comfort food. Searches for hotpots rocketed 176% last month, while fresh soup and casserole were both up 84%, in contrast with last year's popularity of barbecue items.

Ocado sees high demand for soup as cold May weather hits high street recovery

U.K. department store bellwether Marks & Spencer (M&S) is to accelerate is store closure plan and shift further towards online grocery sales after the retailer announced it had plummeted nearly $285 million into the red at its latest results.

Marks & Spencer Turns To Ocado Partnership In Transformation Plan

Tesco PLC

Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO), J Sainsbury PLC (LON:SBRY) and Ocado Group PLC (LON:OCDO) all face risks from the added competition coming from a new generation of on-demand grocery startups, Credit Suisse has warned. With the pandemic driving growth in online grocery, a “new disruptive channel has emerged”, the Swiss investment bank, with on-demand or ‘i-grocery' services characterized by delivery times of 10-15 minutes from a network of small fulfilment centres in densely populated cities.

Tesco, Sainsbury and Ocado all at risk from on-demand grocery startups, warns Credit Suisse

Kroger

High-tech supermarket and logistics group Ocado is pushing toward a future where, from warehouse to doorstep, groceries will be handled by robots.

Kroger partner Ocado is on the road to robotic grocery delivery with autonomous-vehicle investment

Ocado Group PLC (LON:PLC) is to invest £10mln in Oxbotica and work with the Oxford-based company on hardware and software interfaces for autonomous vehicles. Ocado, which started collaborating with Oxbotica in 2017, said the latest collaboration agreement will be a multi-year affair aimed at enabling Ocado's partners who use the Ocado Smart Platform to reduce the costs of “last-mile delivery” and other logistics operations.

Ocado to pump £10mln into self-driving vehicle specialist Oxbotica

Kroger is debuting a customer fulfillment center (CFC), which will combine “vertical integration, machine learning and robotics with affordable, friendly and fast delivery service for fresh food,” according to a press release. The center will be located in Monroe, Ohio, and powered by Ocado Group, which regularly works with grocery eCommerce, the release stated.

Kroger Opens First Ocado-Powered Fulfillment Center

Ocado's U.K. Retail JV with Marks & Spencer offers leverage to a fast-growing U.K. online grocery market, while the Solutions business offers a complete end-to-end automated online logistics solution. Ocado is investing heavily in hardware and software capabilities that automate the ordering, stocking, picking, and fulfillment functions needed to operate an online retail operation.

News for Ocado Group PLC Stock (OCDDY)