Ocado, the UK’s largest online grocer, has said it views news that retail giant Tesco is increasing its focus on e-retailing as an “opportunity” rather than a threat.
Unveiling its first-half results yesterday (4 October), Tesco CEO Philip Clarke revealed that the group plans to increase its online expansion. He told reporters at a conference in London that Tesco wants to be at the forefront of the online revolution, not “a victim of it”.
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The company has already increased its click and collect store numbers to 90 and revealed that its online food business is already turning a profit.
A spokesperson for Ocado told just-food that the company expected to continue to benefit from the increasing numbers of people shopping online and described Tesco’s initiative as an “opportunity”.
“This is actually an opportunity for us. There is a change underway in the shopping habits of customers. If more customers start shopping online, history has shown that this represents an opportunity for Ocado.”
Earlier this week, Ocado rolled out its Low Price Promise throughout the UK. The marketing campaign compares Ocado and Tesco prices on branded and own label goods.
Explaining why Ocado has targeted Tesco in its markting campaign, the spokesperson said: “Tesco are the biggest in the market so a good benchmark for us.”
