A British online grocery store and technology company, Ocado, announced on Monday that the first robotic warehouse it developed for its Japanese partner Aeon had officially opened in Japan.
Orders for Aeon’s “Green Beans” brand are now being accepted at the warehouse, or customer fulfilment centre as Ocado refers to them.
In a partnership agreement struck in 2019, Ocado and Aeon agreed that the Japanese company will have a capacity for online grocery sales of roughly 600 billion yen ($4.21 billion) by 2030 and 1 trillion yen by 2035.
Aeon’s second CFC in Japan will be opened in Hachioji, Tokyo, according to Ocado, with further locations to follow.
According to Tim Steiner, CEO of Ocado, “Grocery spend in Asia is set to outstrip every other region of the globe over the next decade, and online remains the fastest growing channel in grocery across APAC,”
Ocado shares had decreased by 34% over the past year, but on June 22 they increased by as much as 47% after the Times newspaper claimed that Amazon.com may be interested in acquiring the company.
