M&S Food marks five years since Ocado launch by splashing carrier bag on delivery vans

Time flies and all that…It’s been five years since M&S Food launched on Ocado and competition was duly ramped up in the crowded UK online groceries market.

In 2019, Marks & Spencer inked a 50-50 JV deal with Ocado to sell M&S groceries via the separate entity Ocado Retail. The former says that the move has given it a new platform to demonstrate the breadth and value of its range to new family customers and leverage its buying scale, through volume growth.

Ocado Retail, meanwhile, has increased capacity by over 50% since the aforementioned investment and new customer fulfilment centres have opened in locations including Bristol, Purfleet and Andover.

In a LInkedIn post, Alex Freudmann, Managing Director at M&S Food, said: “It’s exactly five years since M&S Food launched on Ocado. To celebrate, we’ve turned our iconic carrier bag into an Ocado van! Look out for more of them making deliveries near you.”

He added: “Ocado now services 80% of UK households and combines the tech and logistics prowess of Ocado with the magic of M&S Food. It’s the only place you can buy M&S Food online. Thank you Hannah Gibson (CEO at Ocado Retail) for the first five years and here’s to our exciting joint growth plans for the next five.”

Gibson said: “The love for M&S products by our customers continues to grow and grow at Ocado. And so it was great to this week spend the afternoon with the teams understanding the strategy Alex is driving and looking at how together we can go even further with our partnership.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Grocery delivery 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.