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Ocado has announced the continued expansion of its partnership with Aeon with plans to construct a third Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) in Kuki-Miyashiro, Japan.
The grocer entered an exclusive partnership with Aeon in 2019 to develop the online operations of the Aeon Next grocery business using the Ocado Smart Platform (OSP).
The new facility, set to open in 2027, was announced as Aeon celebrated the first anniversary of the official launch of its online grocery delivery brand.
The first CFC in Honda-cho, Midori-ku, Chiba-city opened in July 2023, serving customers in the Kanto region. This will be followed by a second CFC based in Hachioji, due to go live in 2026. The service offers the “widest range of products available” in the Japanese grocery market.
In addition to the network expansion, Aeon will also be embracing the latest Ocado technologies, upgrading all live operations with the newest tech developments, including On-Grid Robotic Pick (OGRP).
This will result in increased levels of labour productivity, enabling Aeon to further reduce the cost to serve and address long term challenges of labour availability in Japan.
Tim Steiner, CEO of Ocado Group, said: “Today is an exciting moment for Aeonand Ocado’s relationship as we deepen our already strong partnership.
“As demonstrated by the state-of-the-art CFC live in Honda, Ocado is helping Aeon Next to provide a seamless online grocery experience to customers across Tokyo. We can’t wait to bring this service to even more customers in the years to come.”
