Lessons from 25 years of applying automation

Presented by James Matthews, Deputy CEO of Ocado Group & CEO of Ocado Technology Recorded live at London Tech Week 2025 What does it really take to reinvent the grocery industry from the ground up? In this keynote talk, James takes the audience on a fast-paced journey through 25 years of Ocado’s technological evolution - from pioneering online grocery delivery in 2000 to becoming a global leader in AI-powered automation, robotics, and beyond. Key topics include: The hidden genius (and constraints) of traditional supermarkets How Ocado rebuilt the grocery supply chain from scratch Early lessons from our first automated fulfilment centre The development of our modular, scalable grid and bots system The power of AI and robotic picking in fulfilment Using digital twins and simulation to de-risk design and build This is a story of bold R&D, problem-solving at scale, and how tech is transforming grocery retail worldwide.