Ocado, one of the biggest internet-only grocery
retailers, said this week that sales rose 35% during
the last fiscal year as the COVID-19 pandemic
accelerated the shift toward internet shopping.
The company, which is based in Britain but
has been expanding with partners in the U.S.,
Europe and Asia, said retail sales jumped to
2.19 billion pounds ($3.02 billion) in the year
through November from 1.62 billion pounds a
year earlier.
Consumers around the world have scrambled
for online grocery delivery slots during the
pandemic as shoppers sought to protect
themselves by avoiding supermarkets. During
Ocado’s fiscal year, U.K. health authorities
imposed a raft of social distancing measures and
two national lockdowns to control COVID-19.