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New spoke will handle over 10,000 orders per week and create up to 170 new jobs in the region

Ocado Group plc (“Ocado”), the online supermarket, today opens a new 2.3-acre distribution spoke on the White Horse Business Park in Stanford-in-the-Vale, Oxfordshire.

The site, near Oxford, will allow Ocado to facilitate up to 10,000 orders per week at peak capacity, 65 delivery vans, and 170 new jobs. It will provide local shoppers with an even better, more convenient service, further improving delivery slot availability and punctuality. Ocado delivers over 20,000 product lines in hourly slots straight to the kitchen table, including branded items, its own fast-growing own-label range and Waitrose goods.

Ocado’s new spoke, comprising 43,000 sq ft of warehouse and office space, will serve existing geography and will take capacity from Ocado’s distribution sites in Weybridge, Coventry and Bristol, as well as its central Hatfield space. It opens with a team of 55 staff and 15 vans, and expects to make over 1600 deliveries in its first week.

Tim Steiner, Chief Executive Officer of Ocado, said:

"This new distribution spoke site demonstrates our ongoing commitment to growing and enhancing our business. We are delighted to be in Oxfordshire extending and enhancing Ocado’s quality service, as well as generating vital local jobs.”

The opening comes as Ocado announces full-year results for the 52 weeks ended 27 November 2011. Gross sales have increased 16.6% to £642.8m, the online grocer reporting an operating profit of £1.1m.

Notes to editors

Contact information

M&C Saatchi
+44 (0) 207 543 4500
ocado@mcsaatchi.com

ABOUT OCADO

Online supermarket ocado.com was established in 2000 and is one of Britain’s leading online retailers. Delivering to over 70% of the UK population, every shopping bag is carefully packed in one of three distribution centres using in-house designed software and technology. Shopping is then delivered direct to customers using a network of regional spokes in brightly-coloured vans.

With award-winning mobile apps for every platform, Ocado on the Go, Ocado delivers over 40,000 products, including big-name brands, a range of over 650 Ocado Own Label products and a growing non-food selection. Thoughtful service features such as colour-coded bags, receipts provided in date order, reminder texts with your driver’s name, along with with convenient hourly delivery slots compliment award winning customer service on email, phone and social media.

For all the latest news, images and details of awards, head to the Media Centre at ocadogroup.com

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Ocado opens new Oxford distribution spoke