As a result of continued growth and demand, Ocado is to open a 240,000 sq ft distribution centre or Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) at Walworth Business Park in Andover early next year, with the creation of 700 jobs.
Based in Walworth Business Park, the five floor CFC will be home to 95 of Ocado’s iconic vans, a dedicated tractor park and 22 trailers. It will also have an operating capacity of 70,000 orders per week and will feature the latest Ocado IT systems and advanced technology solutions.
The firm has also launched a major recruitment drive for 1,798 new permanent staff to join it before December.
This drive, the largest ever for the retailer, has been fuelled by the company’s dramatic expansion, led by soaring consumer demand and the boom in online grocery shopping. In its recent Q3 financial results.
Ocado announced a sales growth of 17.3%, with gross sales of £272m in the 12 weeks to 9 August and it now serves more than 471,000 customers across the UK.
According to IGD, the UK grocery market was worth £177.5 billion in the year to 31 March 2015 as more and more people discover the ease and convenience of shopping online for groceries.