Ocado Smart Platform by Ocado Group: status and timeline

Ocado Smart Platform

End-to-end automated warehouse solution with autonomous mobile robot grids, on-grid pick stations (manual and robotic), and AI coordination. Each CFC processes 50,000 orders in 5 minutes.

DeployStage 4 of 5

20+ sites in 10+ countries. 17,000+ robots deployed. Kroger: five sites, Phoenix coming.

Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Planned Kroger CFC opening in Phoenix with AutoFreezer

Ocado founded as online grocery retailerApr 2000Complete.
First Customer Fulfilment Centre opens in Hatfield2002Complete.
Morrisons signs first strategic customer agreement2013Complete.
International expansion begins; Kroger agreement signed2018Complete.
First Lotte CFC opens in Busan, South KoreaAug 2026Complete.
Kroger closes three US CFCs; Ocado receives $350M compensationJan 2026Complete.
Planned Kroger CFC opening in Phoenix with AutoFreezerTarget 2026Not yet reached.

Upcoming

2026Planned Kroger CFC opening in Phoenix with AutoFreezer (next)
2027New customer deployment in major European market

Current obstacles

Competing with rapid delivery economicsTraditional next-day warehouse automation does not fit the 30-minute rapid delivery model growing in urban areas, requiring platform redesign.
Geographic expansion variabilityEach market requires customization for labour costs, partner preferences and delivery geography.

Physics limits

Grid-based movement is inflexibleRobots constrained to 2D grids; major layout reconfiguration requires floor modification or reprogramming.
High upfront capital70,000+ sq ft facilities with tens of thousands of robots require hundreds of millions in capital per site.

How it works

3 parts

Grid-based robotics

Autonomous mobile robots navigate 2D warehouse grid

Robots move on defined grid patterns with encoded paths. AI coordinates fleet to avoid collisions and optimize retrieval.

Multi-station picking

Grid feeds both human and robotic stations

Items delivered to human stations for labour-flexible scaling or to robotic arms for fully automated lines.

Continuous flow

Items move from storage to packing without stopping

Grid-based system enables continuous flow from storage through pick stations to packing, maximizing throughput.

Spec sheet

Spec	Ocado Smart Platform
Total robots deployed globally	17,000+^R (reported)
Annual robot travel distance	153 million km^R (reported)
Orders processed per CFC per 5 minutes	50,000^R (reported)
Customer Fulfilment Centres globally	20+^R (reported)
Active Kroger CFCs (as of January 2026)	5^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Papers & demos

2 items

2017demo
Smart Platform licensed internationally (opens ocadogroup.com)Transition from retailer to technology provider, licensing automation globally.
2002demo
First Customer Fulfilment Centre opens in Hatfield (opens ocadogroup.com)First automated warehouse for online grocery fulfillment.

About Ocado Group

The team behind Ocado Smart Platform

Ocado Group

Ocado Smart Platform, warehouse robotics, automated fulfillment

UK-based technology company providing the Ocado Smart Platform, an automated warehouse solution deployed globally at 20+ customer sites serving Kroger, Morrisons, Groupe Casino, Lotte Shopping and other grocers.

17,000+ robots in operation globally, traveling 153M km/year to process items at 20+ customer sites.
Single CFC processes 50,000 orders in 5 minutes using AI-coordinated robot grids and pick stations.
Kroger closure settlement: $350M compensation. Five Kroger sites remain; Phoenix CFC planned.

ocadogroup.com (opens ocadogroup.com)Company profile →

Founded: 200026 yrs
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Status: Public
Valuation: public
Works in: RoboticsWarehouse & logistics
Coverage: 1 program · 4 updateslatest 1 Aug 2026checked 10 Oct
Customers: Kroger (opens kroger.com)Morrisons (opens morrisons.com)Groupe Casino (opens groupe-casino.fr)Lotte Shopping (opens lotteshopping.com)Alcampo (opens alcampo.es)ICA Gruppen (opens ica.se)Bon Preu (opens bonpreu.cat)
People: Tim Steiner (opens ocadogroup.com)CEO and Co-founderStephen Daintith (opens ocadogroup.com)CFO

Spec

Ocado Smart Platform

Total robots deployed globally

17,000+^R (reported)

Annual robot travel distance

153 million km^R (reported)

Orders processed per CFC per 5 minutes

50,000^R (reported)

Customer Fulfilment Centres globally

20+^R (reported)

Active Kroger CFCs (as of January 2026)

5^R (reported)