Leeds-based supermarket group Asda has announced a partnership with Ocado Group to improve grocery home shopping experience for the millions of customers who shop online.
Asda, which fulfils more than 700,000 online grocery orders per week, will rollout Ocado’s Smart Platform technology solutions across its website & mobile app, in-store picking and home delivery service.
Asda also announced its first-quarter results for the period ending March 31, 2026, showing total revenues excluding fuel of £5 billion, 1.5% down year-on-year.
The partnership with Ocado Group will begin in 2027 with an upgrade to Asda’s website and online shopping experience.
“This will provide a more stable platform for the millions of customers who use it each year, with improved search, more relevant product recommendations and a simpler checkout process.” said Asda.
“This will be followed by new in-store picking and last-mile delivery solutions. These will help stores manage orders more efficiently, improve on-time deliveries and increase available slots by making better use of the existing fleet.
“Ocado’s in-store fulfilment solutions are already used in more than 1,000 grocery stores worldwide, with the wider Ocado smart platform supporting around 70 million orders each year.”
Asda executive chairman Allan Leighton said: “Asda is the cheapest full-range supermarket, as consistently shown by independent price comparisons from Which? and The Grocer, and has a large, well-established online offer.
“We know that continued success in this highly competitive market is dependent on providing a positive experience for customers every time they shop. Partnering with Ocado, will strengthen our online offer and provide a consistent and high-quality experience for millions of shoppers, from order through to delivery, while supporting our Formula for Growth.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Asda will retain full control of its customer offer, pricing and online operations. Scheduled home delivery and click and collect orders will continue to be fulfilled from Asda stores and Asda’s existing fulfilment hubs.
Orders placed through rapid delivery partners such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, will be picked by Asda using Ocado’s technology and delivered by the third-party provider.
On the first-quarter results, Asda said Asda Express “continues to outperform the wider convenience market delivering seven consecutive quarters of growth” and that new partnerships with third-party food brands “will drive further momentum in small stores.”
Leighton said: “In our previous trading update, I described performance as edging forwards and this continued through Q1, finishing the quarter broadly where we expected to be.
“This progress is due to the stabilisation of our core systems, which has enabled us to deliver ongoing improvements in availability, price and customer satisfaction. It has also given us the confidence to launch ‘Take a Fresh Look’ – an open invitation for shoppers to come back and give Asda another go. We’re confident they’ll see the difference straight away when they do.
“Today, we also announced a partnership with Ocado Group that will significantly improve our online business. It will bring the best-in-class technology and, importantly, enable us to compete more strongly in this fast-growing channel. This is a clear statement of intent and will put us in a much stronger position for the future.”
Asda chief financial officer Michael Gleeson said: “We traded the first quarter in line with expectations and significantly improved vs Q4, supported by continued operational stability across our core systems, giving us the platform to operate more consistently and effectively.
“This was underpinned by continued disciplined cash management and a strong capital structure, with all debt maturities addressed through to 2028. Looking ahead, we expect to run the business with greater consistency and build on the progress made in Q1 as we deliver our Formula for Growth.”
Asda is owned 67.5% by TDR Capital, 22.5% by Mohsin Issa, and 10% by Walmart Inc.