M&A Activity • Nov 28, 2017
M&A Activity
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28 November 2017
We are pleased to announce the signing of an agreement between Ocado Group plc ("Ocado") and Groupe Casino, to develop the Ocado Smart Platform ("OSP") in France.
Ocado is the world's leading dedicated on-line grocery retailer with a strong technological advantage. The scalable, modular end-to-end solution provided by the OSP is a unique answer to the opportunities and challenges posed by shifting offline/online trends in grocery.
This highly innovative and effective commercial formula will be achieved through access to Ocado's endto-end solution, including the construction of its latest generation, state-of-the-art automated warehouse (for which Ocado will invest to install its grid and its robots), Ocado's best-in-class front-end web site functionality, last-mile routing management and big data, real time implementation.
Groupe Casino's banners will benefit from this innovative grocery e-commerce platform, firstly Monoprix.fr, which will provide its customers with the largest assortment of food items at the best levels of services and costs.
The agreement sets out plans for the immediate initiation of the development of a Customer Fulfilment Centre ("CFC") using Ocado's proprietary Mechanical Handling Equipment ("MHE") to serve the Greater Paris area, the Normandie and Hauts de France Regions.The build and launch is expected to take at least two years.
In consideration of the investments made by Ocado, of maintenance and of provision of technology, Groupe Casino will pay Ocado certain upfront fees upon signing,and during the development phase, then ongoing fees linked to its utilisation of capacity within the CFC and service criteria.
In addition to the initial CFC, Groupe Casino and Ocado will consider further development of other CFCs close to other large urban areas.
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Jean-Charles Naouri, CEO of Groupe Casino, said:
"Groupe Casino is pleased to announce the agreement with Ocado Group which will allow it to develop an integrated customer and logistics platform, considered the best in the market.
"This agreement is a major leap in terms of quality: 50,000 food items will be offered in the first stage to customers in the Greater Paris area with precise and speedy delivery at home and through a platform which makes it achievable to do this profitably. Groupe Casino is very proud to have sealed this deal with Ocado which will further strengthen the quality of service available to its customers, at the core of its commitments for 120 years."
Tim Steiner, CEO of Ocado, said:
"We are delighted that Groupe Casino has decided to partner with Ocado Solutions to grow and develop its online food business. We believe that the scalable, modular end-to-end solutions provided by the Ocado Smart Platform, will allow retailers such as Groupe Casino to build their online grocery offer in a way that is profitable and sustainable, creating value for customers, suppliers and shareholders.
"We continue to make investments to commercialise our proprietary platform and expect this deal to be one of many successful collaborations with leading retailers to use it the world over."
Luke Jensen, CEO Ocado Solutions, said:
"Groupe Casino is a successful multi-format, multi-banner and multi-channel business with top-three market positions in all the countries in which it trades. Its decision to adopt the Ocado Smart Platform to build and drive its online food business in France gives it a unique, innovative, and world-leading solution to the challenge of delivering groceries profitably online. We look forward to working closely with Groupe Casino going forward".
Régine Gaggioli – Tel: +33 (0)1 53 65 64 17 [email protected] or +33 (0)1 53 65 24 17 IR\[email protected]
Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 65 24 78 [email protected] Stéphanie Abadie, Press relations manager Tel.: + 33 (0)6 26 27 37 05 – [email protected]
Simon Zaks – Tel: +33 (0)6 60 87 50 29 – [email protected] Karine Allouis – Tel: + 33 (0)6 11 59 23 26 – [email protected]
Ocado is a UK based company admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange (Ticker OCDO), and is one of the world's largest dedicated online grocery retailers, operating its own grocery and general merchandise retail businesses under the Ocado.com and other specialist shop banners.
Ocado began the commercialisation of its intellectual property with its agreement to operate the online business of Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc in the UK.
OSP is an enabling platform provided as a service to retailers. It comprises access to Ocado's physical infrastructure solutions to run highly efficient warehouse operations for the single pick of products together with the entire end-to-end proprietary software required to operate an online grocery business, from user interfaces, through warehouse operating and control systems, to logistics, route planning and optimisation. It is underpinned by Ocado's expertise and experience as a dedicated online grocery operator.
OSP provides multiple advantages to retailers wishing to operate online including:
Casino Group is a well-established and key player in the French retail industry as well as a leader in the global food retail market, with close to 13,000 stores worldwide – in France, Latin America and in the Indian Ocean region. The Group has built up a portfolio of strong, dynamic and complementary banners, thanks to its workforce of over 220,000 people driven by a passion for retail and customer service, generating consolidated net sales of €36bn in 2106. In all of its host countries, the Casino Group focuses its development on the formats with the highest potential and ability to adapt in order to meet customer needs, both today and in the future.
Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from any expected future events or results expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Persons receiving this announcement should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, regulation or accounting standard, Ocado does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
In accordance with European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1055 of 29 June 2016 with regard to the technical means for appropriate public disclosure of inside information and for delaying the public disclosure of inside information, this press release was communicated to Casino's primary information provider on 28 November 2017 at 8.00am Paris time.
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