British online supermarket Ocado played down the impact of a fire which devastated its flagship distribution centre in southern England, saying the blaze didn't affect its long-term plans and helping send its shares to a record high.
Though the cause of the fire in Andover is still being investigated, Ocado said on Tuesday its initial assessment had given it confidence there are no significant implications for the risk profile of its assets or the viability of its model.
Shares in Ocado, which have doubled over the last year, were up 2.9% at 11.82 pounds by 0836 GMT, having hit a record £11.92.
Fire Damages
Last month, when Ocado announced a £1.5 billion joint venture with Marks and Spencer, its Chief Executive Tim Steiner told reporters he knew the precise cause of the fire but could not share the details.
"The fire has been a setback, but it will be only a temporary one," Steiner said on Tuesday.
He said Ocado will build a replacement facility that reflects the innovations and improvements it has made since Andover opened in November 2016.
Ocado also said retail revenue increased 11.2% to £404 million in the 13 weeks to 3 March, its fiscal first quarter, having risen 12% in the previous quarter. The impact of the fire was 1.2% of sales.
Chief Financial Officer Duncan Tatton-Brown told reporters he expected the impact in the second quarter would be about 3% of sales, reflecting a full three-months trading impact versus one in the first quarter.
Ocado said average orders per week rose 11.3% to 314,000, though average order size edged 0.2% lower to £110.24.
Lost Capacity
Prior to the blaze, the Andover centre was providing about 10% of Ocado's UK capacity. The company warned in February of a reduction in sales growth until it increases capacity elsewhere.
Plans include the setting up of a temporary facility in Andover and ramping-up capacity of its fourth and newest distribution centre in Erith, near London.
Though Ocado has a 1% share of Britain's grocery market, its £8 billion stock market valuation has been driven by the technology side of its business - providing international retailers with the infrastructure and software to develop their own online grocery businesses to compete with the likes of Amazon.
The Andover plant, which was processing 30,000 orders a week, is Ocado's third automated warehouse and has been instrumental in it winning major deals to sell its technology to U.S. group Kroger, France's Casino, Canada's Sobeys and Sweden's ICA.
Late last month Ocado sold M&S a half share in its UK retail business for £750 million.
The group was founded by three Goldman Sachs bankers 18 years ago. After struggling for years to post a profit it has flourished particularly in the last year.
News by Reuters, edited by Checkout. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
