Online supermarket Ocado Group Plc. (OCDO.L) confirmed that it is in discussions with Wm. Morrison Supermarkets Plc. (MRW.L, MRWSY.PK) which may lead to an agreement to license certain of Ocado's existing and future intellectual property and operating knowledge for the purposes of Morrison commencing an online grocery business in the UK.
Ocado Group stated that the negotiations did not involve any discussion of Morrison acquiring either the whole of, or an equity stake in, Ocado.
Any such agreement would be complementary to Ocado's existing partnership with Waitrose, which would be unaffected by any potential agreement with Morrison, Ocado said.
Separately, Ocado Group announced its interim management statement for the 12 weeks to 24 February 2013. Gross sales for the period were 185.5 million pounds, compared to 162.1 million pounds for 12 weeks to 19 February 2012. Average orders per week rose to 130,995 from 116,987 last year. Average order size was 117.99 million pounds, compared to 115.49 million pounds in the prior year.
In a separate press release, Wm. Morrison Supermarkets announced the preliminary results for the year ended 3 February 2013. Profit for the period attributable to the owners of the Company was 647 million pounds, down from 690 million pounds in the previous year. However, Earnings per share rose to 26.57 pence from 26.03 pence last year.
Profit before taxation declined to 879 million pounds, from 947 million pounds in the prior year. Underlying basic earnings per share increased by 7% to 27.3 pence from last year's 25.6 pence.
Annual turnover rose to 18.12 billion pounds, up from 17.66 billion pounds last year.
Wm. Morrison said that it will continue to implement a wide range of measures to address the sales performance of the business and progress our strategic initiatives, in order to provide a platform for successful long term growth. The company's expectations are that the challenging consumer and market environment it saw in 2012 will persist through the coming year.
Wm. Morrison announced that it will launch Nutmeg, new range of clothing for children aged 0-13, which will be available in over 90 stores from March 2013.
Wm. Morrison noted that its directors are proposing a final dividend in respect of the financial period ending 3 February 2013 of 8.31 pence per share which will absorb an estimated 195 million pounds of shareholders' funds. Subject to approval at the Annual General Meeting, it will be paid on 19 June 2013 to shareholders who are on the register on 17 May 2013.
Wm Morrison Supermarkets also announced that Nigel Robertson, Non Executive Director, is to stand down from the Board with immediate effect. This follows his appointment to be Chief Executive of Kiddicare, a division of the Company, from 1 April 2013. Nigel Robertson will be appointed to the Management Board of the Company.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.