Supermarkets facing existential threat from ultra-fast delivery upstarts
The traffic/employment legislation dodgers reckons they could gobble up 50% of the grocery market
Company
Ocado Group PLC
LON:OCDO
Ocado was launched in partnership with Waitrose in January 2002, and delivers quality groceries across selected areas of England and Wales. Our business was conceived with one simple objective in mind: to offer busy people a true alternative to going to the supermarket every week. By doing this, we created a totally new shopping experience, built entirely around our customers’ needs. By fulfilling orders from a dedicated warehouse, we can show virtually live inventory on our webshop, enabling customers to choose from a range of groceries that are actually in stock. By using unique logistics software and satellite navigation systems in our vans, we strive to deliver the right goods at the right time.
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Ocado sales growth slows as online boom eases
Ocado has signed a new partnership with Auchan Retail
Ocado is best long-term hedge against grocery disruption, says Morgan Stanley
“Although the stock looks expensive against other software companies with similar business models, this is justified by a much superior growth outlook"
Online grocery shopping stalls as Britain returns to pre-pandemic habits
This trend benefitted Aldi and Lidl and slowed down growth for Ocado
Ocado ripe for re-rating suggests Morgan Stanley
"With the shares down 34% since the peak in September 2020, we think near-term risks are priced in"
Ocado sees high demand for soup as cold May weather hits high street recovery
These trends may soon reverse as the UK is finally seeing a rise in temperatures
Supermarket sales dip as lockdown eases but remain above pre-pandemic levels
People returned to buy more ready meals as they had less time to spend cooking, while mouthwash and shoe polish were in demand after socialising was allowed again
Supermarket data to show how vaccine roll-out is affecting online shift
Tuesday's diary also includes results from Aveva, Big Yellow, Electrocomponents and Shaftesbury
Ocado to pump £10mln into self-driving vehicle specialist Oxbotica
The companies plan to develop a wide range of autonomous solutions that have the potential to transform the warehouse and service delivery operations of Ocado and its customers
Online grocery growth slips as vaccinated older shoppers head back to stores
Now largely vaccinated, over-65s increased their trips to bricks-and-mortar outlets by 6.8% – more than double the national rate
Ocado plans 12 micro customer fulfilment centres rollout for one-hour deliveries
The upcoming quarterly sales figures will reflect the year-on-year comparisons with periods of full lockdown
Ocado, Fevertree and Gym Group on Thursday agenda
There's also results from 888 Holdings, National Express, EMIS Group, Genel Energy, Eve Sleep and Vectura
UK online grocers hit market share record but outlook depends on COVID-19 restrictions
Ocado said earlier on Tuesday its future performance will be highly dependent on how lockdowns are eased
Ocado forecasts £700mln yearly capital expenditure in new year as losses reduced over fivefold
The online grocer is planning further investment in the UK and internationally but revenue growth depends on COVID-19 restrictions
Richard Jeans' Tech Blog: Cisco, Twitter, Uber and Ocado to report earnings
Ocado, the FTSE 100 online grocery platform and solutions provider, and ex-FTSE 100 enterprise software company Microfocus report earnings this week. Meanwhile, in the US Cisco Systems, Twitter and Uber Technologies are set to report their
Cisco, Twitter, Uber and Ocado to report earnings
Ocado, the FTSE 100 online grocery platform and solutions provider, and ex-FTSE 100 enterprise software company Microfocus report earnings this week. Meanwhile, in the US Cisco Systems, Twitter and Uber Technologies are set to report their
Alcohol and kids meals boost supermarket sales in lockdown January
Ocado's joint venture with M&S was again the fastest growing of the publicly listed grocery groups
Ocado, CMC Markets, Ergomed and Pure Gold Mining among broker's top growth stocks for 2021
Other new additions to the list in the FTSE 350 include 888 and Pets at Home
Supermarkets enjoy biggest ever month as coronavirus cannot dent Christmas spending
Online orders accounted for 12.6% of grocery spending during the month compared with 7.4% a year earlier
Ocado poaches chairman from Mastercard to replace Stuart Rose
Rick Haythornthwaite will replace Stuart Rose at the group's AGM next May
Ocado concerns the market despite earnings upgrade
Analysts look at the deceleration in sales although the online grocer is expected to hold market share gains even post-pandemic
Ocado expects underlying earnings to climb following strong year
Trading next year will depend on how customer behaviour will normalise based on the lifting of restrictions
Are Ocado investors set for an early Christmas present?
Ocado, DS Smith and Marstons will be the latest to tell investors how they're faring amidst the pandemic.
Supermarkets enjoy record spending as lockdown and Christmas inspire spree
A record £10.9bn was spent in November and December is expected to top that by around another £1bn
Builders and building materials
UK supermarket data and US economic view from Ashtead and Ferguson in focus
A month ago, data from Kantar showed supermarket sales were up 9.3% year-on-year
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FTSE 100 closes a hair higher as investors wait to see outcome of Brexit talks
The equity markets were overshadowed by foreign exchange markets, where sterling has taken an absolute pasting
Ocado stumbles as AutoStore files fresh lawsuits over robotic retrieval system
The Norwegian firm said the FTSE 100 online grocery giant "took advantage of being our customer and having access to AutoStore’s market-leading technology and then attempted to assert ownership over what it had learned"
Morrisons leads big four with little sign of supermarket panic buying ahead of Lockdown 2
The online grocery joint venture between Ocado Group and Marks & Spencer remained the fastest growing retailer overall
Rise of the robots: Ocado enters non-food retail and logistics sectors with new acquisitions
This year, as the pandemic coincided with improvements in technology, there has been a significant step up in the use of robots by retail and logistics companies
Ocado ups profit guidance and stretches beyond grocery sector with robotic acquisitions
CEO Tim Steiner said he believes the acquisitions of Kindred Systems and Haddington Dynamics "have the capabilities to allow us to accelerate delivery, innovate more, and grow faster"
Supermarket sales begin to pick up again as coronavirus restrictions return
Ocado and Marks and Spencer’s UK joint venture continued to be the biggest beneficiary of the online grocery trend
Barclays sees Ocado riding for a fall, suggests seven UK top picks instead
Analysts flagged up seven poised to see positive catalysts in coming months: OneSavingsBank, BAT, Intermediate Capital, Sainsbury's, WPP, National Grid and Hikma Pharmaceuticals
Investments and investor services
The FTSE 100 is boring, full of dead wood and maybe even pointless
For ETF tracker investors is there any point to an index full of deadwood companies?
Ocado says M&S products proving popular as sales growth remains strong
There has been a higher average weighting of M&S products customers’ online baskets than Waitrose prior to the switchover
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Ocado to deliver update alongside grocery market share figures on Tuesday, UK unemployment data eyed
The online grocery giant will be eyed closely for an update on its delivery partnership with M&S, which kicked off at the start of September
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FTSE 100 finishes a tad lower as the strong pound hurts benchmark
Britain's blue-chip benchmark finished nearly six points down, or 0.10%, at 6,026. The pound added 0.57% against the US dollar
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Ocado, Next and Trainline among key updates in week ahead, Fed and BoE eyed for interest rate news
Other firms scheduled to report over the week include housebuilder Redrow and video game services firm Keywords
Short sellers lose over £400mln from failed FTSE 100 bets in August with Ocado biggest culprit
The online grocery group cost the blue-chip index's bears £79.5mln in August, while Holiday Inn owner IHG was in second place with £70.6mln in failed shorts
Are Ocado shares a 'buy'? Citi seems to think so
Its price target on the stock is £29, but it has also come up with some interesting 'blue-sky' valuations
Tesco and Sainsbury's lose market share as online grocers and independents gain from lockdown
The average spend per grocery shop dropped below £25 for the first time since March
Builders and building materials
Are supermarkets and housebuilders sales still going bananas?
Commodities will also be in focus as BHP and John Wood Group are also putting out numbers
Ocado knocked to underweight as Barclays questions size of market opportunity
The bank also said they believed the company's £16bn market cap was “excessively generous”
Ocado target price hiked as Peel Hunt estimates firm could take 25% share of online grocery market
The broker highlighted that the coronavirus pandemic had caused a sharp rise in online as a percentage of the overall grocery market, notably in the UK, US and China
Morrisons and Ocado enjoy gains but grocers coronavirus boost eases slightly
Promotional activity also picked up in the latest four weeks, with 29% of sales including some type of discount
Ocado delivers curate's egg as tasty side for M&S
“For a well-established company, the lack of signs for immediate profitability, no prospect of a dividend and a recent £1bn fundraising could be viewed as potential red flags,” said one analyst
Ocado sees losses persist despite growing retail revenue
"As a result of COVID-19 we have seen years of growth in the online grocery market condensed into a matter of months; and we won't be going back," said CEO Tim Steiner
Ocado interims to put some flesh on the bones after lockdown surge
News about fellow FTSE 100 group Halma's dividend will be top of the agenda with its results on Tuesday
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FTSE 100 closes firmly ahead as traders shrug off any nerves about US earnings
Britain's index of leading shares closed up over 80 points, or 1.33%, at 6,176 on Monday
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Ocado, GVC, Burberry and ASOS to fill corporate calendar in coming week, UK employment data eyed
The week will also see results from harzard detection specialist Halma as well as UK GDP data and inflation readings
Ocado quids in as lockdown switches food buying online
Convenience stores also racked up big sales rises with the Co-op up 34%
Ocado raises £1bn to continue investment in online grocery partnerships
One analyst said his initial reaction “was that it was a real cheek for Ocado to ask investors to stump up more cash, as the company still has a ton of cash in the bank”
Ocado and Tesco the winners as grocery price inflation boosts supermarket sales
Grocery inflation jumped to 3.1% for the past 12 weeks, with prices rising fastest in products such as bacon, sausages and cooked meats
Ocado's value given a boost as analysts crunch numbers of online grocery surge
"The surge in online grocery demand globally will result in Ocado’s international partners requiring installed capacity at their CFCs to be accelerated and require faster ramp-up to full capacity"
Ocado drives up capacity and delivers first two overseas warehouses
The online grocery specialist oversaw the full launch of a depot for France’s Groupe Casino in March and a second by Canada’s Sobeys last week
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Recovery plays: Ocado, LSE and Reckitt are 'top picks' for post-coronavirus rebound
Analysts at Berenberg have assumed a “severe impact” in March will continue through the second quarter before “early signs of recovery” are seen from the middle of the third quarter onwards
Ocado joint venture shuts down app due to coronavirus panic buying
Registration for new website customers has been stopped in recent days, with a new online queueing system installed and the mobile app switched off to cope with the surge of demand from worried households
Ocado “primed to capitalise”, says Berenberg, other grocers need to keep up
Analysts said online grocery shopping is the future and all players need to step up their offering
Archive
Ocado to update market as coronavirus spikes demand for home deliveries
Retailers Ocado and Next are due to update the market amid the coronavirus uncertainty, as will The Gym Group
Ocado reports “exceptionally high demand” as coronavirus fears mount
Many believe the general public are filling up their pantries in case the outbreak gets worse
Ocado boss bags £54mln payday as share price soars
Marks & Spencer starts a delivery service here in September while Kroger in Canada and Aeon in Japan have also signed up.
Ocado's annual losses grow almost fivefold
The online grocery group said it expects to spend a massive £600mln of capital expenditure in the current year
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FTSE 100 closes in the green, Wall Street at new highs as coronavirus fears subside
The UK index of leading shares closed the day up over 52 points, or 0.71%, at 7,499
What will Ocado deliver in its results?
Tuesday should also see a trading update from Anglo-German holiday operator TUI, plus the release of some UK economic growth data
Ocado sets the pace, with Morrisons stuck in reverse
Sainsbury’s sales shrank 0.6% in the past 12 weeks and Tesco’s were down 0.9%
Ocado and M&S joint venture's sales slow in fourth quarter
Melanie Smith, chief executive of Ocado Retail, said “good progress” has been made getting ready for the September 2020 switchover to sell the M&S food range online for the first time
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FTSE 100 closes ahead as trade deal hopes once again boost sentiment
Footsie closed up around 57 points at 7,237, while FTSE 250 also rose, adding nearly 146 points at 20,793
Berenberg upgrades Ocado to 'buy', says online grocery at "tipping point"
The German bank's analysts also upped their target price for Ocado to 1,635p from 876p
Why does Ocado need more money – and does it matter?
How analysts treat the new convertible bond will be important, analyst Clive Black says, as on a fully diluted basis it “could lead to a major downgrade to ongoing EPS”
Ocado raising £500mln from bond issue as sales soften
The 13 weeks to 1 December are expected to see retail revenue growth of between 10% and 11%, with Ocado Zoom likely to outperform retail revenue
Ocado ups investment after winning deal with Japan's largest retailer
Aeon's first depot is planned to go live in 2023 with the aim of having £1.4bn of sales capacity after two years
Ocado and M&S believe small is beautiful for Bristol delivery depot
“Despite its smaller size, we expect the Bristol mini-CFC to achieve productivity close to that in our standard facilities,” Ocado said
Ocado's 'stretched' valuation assumes too much for JPMorgan
Analysts continue to call the retail technology company's outlook "too optimistic", after it reached an all-time high of 1,407p per share in April
Ocado sees strong start to joint venture with M&S
Revenues were up 11.4% in the 13 weeks to 1 September, however, the firm issued no new info on the business besides its JV with the high street chain
Warehouse fires may scorch Ocado in update on Tuesday
Two fires so far this, at the grocer's warehouses in Andover and Erith, are likely to have dented sales
M&S's strategy director, Melanie Smith, appointed CEO of JV with Ocado
Unless Waitrose plays ball, Ocado will not be able to start supplying M&S food until September of next year
UK grocery sales fall for first time in three years as alcohol and ice cream sales plunge
Last year’s heatwave meant us Brits forked out more on things such as beers, cider and ice cream, but with the weather much duller this summer, grocery sales have dropped
Recent profit warnings put a £200mln dent in ASOS founder’s net worth
Nick Robertson’s stake in the online fashion retailer has plunged after two recent profit warnings, and he’s not the only retail mogul to have suffered in recent years
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 closes lower Friday after lacklustre week
The FTSE 250 went the other way and gained over 87 points on Friday
Ocado investors hang high hopes on tech transformation
Ocado has signed multiple overseas partners in recent years but the market wants to know how much money it can make from these deals, according to AJ Bell's Russ Mould.
Ocado earnings hit by Andover fire costs but shares jump on deal optimism
Ocado’s shares have risen strongly this year after clinching deals with M&S and Coles.
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 closes in red as traders await Fed chair comments
The Footsie closed the afternoon session down nearly 13 points at 7,536.
Archive
Bovis Homes, Ocado and Micro Focus all due to report on a busy Tuesday
After a relatively quiet start to the week, the news flow is set to ratchet up on Tuesday as a host of big names publish updates of one kind or another
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 closes a tad lower as traders are not sure which way to jump
The UK's premier share index finished nearly four points lower at 7,549
Archive
Barratt Developments and Bovis Homes to provide main building bricks in coming week
Aside from the two housebuilders, corporate updates in the coming week will also be delivered by retailers Ocado, Superdry and Dunelm
Ocado market is even bigger than previously thought, says Citi
Citi’s rating of ‘buy’ was reiterated with the share price target hiked to 1,450p from 1300p
Marks and Spencer rights issue receives lukewarm response, but rump placed easily
Never mind eight out of 10 cats ... barely eight out of 10 M&S shareholders wanted new shares, even at a discount
Ocado climbs into vertical farming with acquisition and new joint venture
Online grocery company acquires Europe's largest vertical farm, based in Scunthorpe, and invests in the formation of a new joint venture with US and Dutch vertical farmers
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 closes higher as trade tensions ease
The UK's index of leading shares finished the first day of the trading week around 46 points higher at 7,378
Ocado hit as Jefferies cuts stance to ‘underperform’ on valuation grounds after strong gains
The US broker's analysts pointed out that Ocado’s valuation “now assumes an unequivocal commercial success of the OSP for its existing customers (and their 38 contracted sheds)”
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 closes higher despite continued trade worries
The UK's blue-chip benchmark added over 23 points to close at 7,184
M&S expected to narrowly avoid FTSE 100 relegation after rights issue
On Wednesday, M&S shares fell 5.9% to 235.80p as trading in the rights to the upcoming share issue hit the secondary market
Analysts raise doubts on M&S turnaround plan
“The fact that sales are still expected to drop this year suggests the turnaround is still some way off,” said Ian Forrest, investment research analyst at The Share Centre.
M&S confirms £600mln rights issue and dividend cut to fund Ocado joint venture
M&S reported a 9.9% drop in pre-tax profit before adjustments
Archive
FTSE 100 closes slightly ahead but Wall Street shares slide
The Footsie closed out at 7,334 - up around five points, while mid-cap index was firmly lower- down 129 points at 19,307
Marks & Spencer finals to fix FTSE 100 future
High street retailer has sunk to the relegation places in the FTSE 100 index
Archive
Inflation figures to lead macro news on Wednesday, Royal Mail braces for full year figures
Economists are expecting the consumer price index to be well below the recent growth in average earnings at around 1.8% year-on-year in April
Will M&S be too late to the online party? Liberum thinks so…
M&S will have to deal with fierce competition: Waitrose recently unveiled ambitious plans to treble the size of its online business, while Tesco, Sainsbury and Amazon.com have been investing into their delivery propositions for a while
Morrisons edges lower as first-quarter growth misses forecasts
Like-for-like sales growth of just 0.2% in its stores was below the 0.5% analysts had expected, but Morrisons’ boss was relatively pleased with the “robust” performance given the drop-off in consumer confidence
Morrisons suspends deal with Ocado for capacity at Erith after fire destroys Andover warehouse
Ocado said the agreement with Morrisons will give it more room to fulfil other orders
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Standard Chartered faces possible shareholder revolt over executive pay plan
The news marks the latest in a series of potential shareholder rebellions over pay increases that see executives’ pensions raised more than ordinary workers.