In a large part supported by its new outsourcing revenue stream, Ocado saw its revenue increase by 11.5% to £348.6 million in the third quarter of this financial year.

Another important factor was the opening of its new robotic warehouses. Chief executive Tim Steiner said in a trading statement: “The new capacity from Andover and Erith, our robotic third and fourth warehouses, is helping meet consumer demand for our services and drive the channel shift which is transforming grocery retailing in the UK.

“We are proud to have opened our Erith Customer Fulfilment Centre this summer on time and on budget. At full capacity, this latest state-of-the-art CFC will be the largest automated warehouse for online grocery in the world. We are delighted to report that last week Erith processed over 20,000 customer orders 14 weeks after opening, a number which took Andover 15 months to achieve.

“Together, Andover and Erith provide new opportunities for growth in our UK retail business while showcasing the scalability, adaptability and efficiency of our platform.”

Steiner also highlighted the progress the company has made in developing sites for other retailers, saying: “We are on track to deliver a significant number of new CFCs for our Solutions partners in the coming years and as such are fulfilling our goal of changing the way the world shops”.