Despite a promising start, including early adoption of apps for mobile ordering, the company has struggled financially over the years. This week, Sir Stuart Rose (formerly of Marks & Spencer) was named to replace outgoing chairman Lord Grade as Ocado moves ahead with a plan to open a second of its highly automated warehouses.
This change at the top adds yet more retail expertise and experience to help Ocado compete with multichannel powerhouses like Tesco, a difficult challenge for any company. Still, Ocado gets high marks from happy customers. It also makes the most of its high-tech know-how, with 127,000 Facebook likes and services such as texting customers with delivery reminders.
When will Ocado report a profit? By some estimates, this won't happen until 2015.
