Ocado Group PLC (LSE:OCDO), the online supermarket, has launched its first robotic warehouse in Japan in partnership with AEON.
The customer fulfilment centre (CFC) will now take orders from customers in the Kanto region for AEON’s newly launched ‘Green Beans’ brand.
It represents Ocado’s first CFC launch in Asia
Ocado signed the Japanese retailer up as a partner in 2019, predicting that the company would generate sales of US$4.2bln by 2030.
The FTSE 100 group has previously explored robotic investments, using the technology to help pick out and move products in storage.
Tim Steiner, chief executive officer at Ocado said in a statement: “Today marks the launch of something totally new in the Japanese grocery market, bringing a world-leading quality of service online to AEON NEXT.
“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.”
A second CFC is set to be opened in Tokyo for AEON before more sites ranging in size are launched.
Akio Yoshida, president of AEON added: “The effort is a cornerstone of AEON’s continued digital shift across the enterprise, and we will continue to collaborate with Ocado to innovate the online shopping experience.”
Ocado shares dropped by over 3% on Monday having opened at 579p.