130 jobs created as rapid grocery delivery service opens new base
Dedicated online supermarket Ocado Retail is this week opening its fourth Zoom by Ocado site, the company’s rapid grocery delivery service.
The facility in Leeds is its first outside London, delivering groceries with the service powered by Ocado Group’s technology.
The delivery service in Leeds is made possible by a new, purpose-built automated warehouse in Hunslet.
Inside the facility, 70 robots communicate using 4G technology. They pick and pack the products, while humans assemble the final orders ahead of delivery.
Credit: Lorne Campbell/Guzelian
130 new jobs have been created in the area, ranging from warehouse staff to delivery drivers. The business is predicting up to 10,000 orders per week from Leeds residents.
George Dean, director of Zoom by Ocado, said: “Ocado is famed for its world-leading technology, and we’re pleased to be bringing our rapid grocery app to the city of Leeds as our service expands outside London.
“As well as offering mountains of choice to our customers delivered in under an hour, we’re also dedicated to being a positive addition to the local community.
“As part of this pledge, we’ll be supporting Magic Breakfast and Rethink Food, a local food education charity, which aims to remove hunger as a barrier to learning.
“Deliveries will be made using a range of electric vehicles including e-trikes and e-mopeds, and shopping will arrive in recyclable bags. This technology will also help maintain Ocado’s market leading low levels of food waste.”
The company’s new warehouse in Hunslet joins an existing warehouse in Batley, which acts as a base for Ocado’s main delivery service, Ocado.com.
