Ocado launches two new Coles fulfilment centres in Australia

27th Aug 2024 07:14

(Sharecast News) - Online grocer and food logistics group Ocado has announced that operations have finally started at two customer fulfilment centres in Australia a year later than planned, as part of its partnership with retail chain Coles.

The two robot-operated facilities in Sydney and Melbourne, first announced in 2019, were originally scheduled to go live last year, but the companies faced numerous delays during construction.

The CFCs are powered by the automated Ocado Smart Platform, which it says will give Coles customers significant improvements in freshness and speed, as well as opportunities to trial new products.

The launch, which follows the opening of an Alcampo-branded CFC in Madrid last month, brings Ocado's global footprint of CFCs to 25.

"As these CFCs ramp up, we are excited to help Coles bring a step-change in customer experience online to households across Sydney and Melbourne," said Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner.

"The start of operations in our two Australian CFCs is an exciting moment for teams at Ocado. Australia is one of the fastest developing markets in the world for grocery ecommerce, and Coles is already a market leader in the online channel."