As Ocado turns 25 Chief Product Officer James Gralton takes a trip down memory lane including automation and AI

Ocado’s 25th anniversary celebrations have prompted James Gralton, Chief Product Officer, to think back on his own 20 year journey with the company.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Walking through the doors in 2005 I could not have imagined the journey Ocado and I would go on. It’s a story of many companies all wrapped up into one. I originally joined as a software engineer, working on new Java applications for our customer fulfilment centre.”

At that time, Ocado had just one warehouse. Watching the firm go from a single fulfilment centre to an international business with sites live all over the world has been a clear highlight for Gralton.

“Our journey has had its fair share of bumps but the tenacity and hard work of our teams has pushed us through each challenge. I’ll never forget launching our first two international CFC partners on the Ocado Smart Platform, at the same time, in the midst of Covid-19,” he commented.

He added: “Many of us were still grappling with how to work from home for the very first time, and it had only been a few years since we’d set out on the ambitious journey to deliver an end-to-end platform with our own in house built automation. This was multiple teams uniting behind a shared vision, delivering on our promises, and laying the foundations for our groundbreaking OSP solution.”

“While the challenges have grown in scale - delivering our first additively manufactured bot, entering into new markets, introducing non-grocery verticals into the fold and pioneering innovative new AI use cases - our core approach to problem solving and our focus on teamwork remains as strong as ever. I can’t wait to see where Ocado is in 2050!”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

AI will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.