HATFIELD, UK – Online e-commerce giant Ocado is the latest to disclose the effect of Amazon's intention to purchase Whole Foods, stating that a U.S. expansion might be in the works as retailers look to hone their online strategies.

Ocado CEO Tim Steiner stated that the U.S. retailers with brick and mortar stores are exploring new strategies and e-commerce since the announcement, as they plan for buy-side competition that the future will bring. "Therefore we’ve seen increased interest in our (technology) solution from players in the U.S.," Steiner said, according to Reuters.

Ocado has noted a 2.7 percent increase in its first half core earnings. The online grocer currently has 1.3 percent of the U.K. grocery market where online shopping makes up 7.6 percent of total grocery sales, and continuing to grow by over 10 percent a year according to Kantar Worldpanel. Reuters noted that analysts see overseas retailers as being the key influence on the company’s market valuation.

"Grocery retailing is changing, and we are ideally positioned to enable other retailers to achieve their online aspirations," Steiner continued.

Steiner further alluded to a future presence in the U.S. by citing its most recent bit of news. Last month, the company secured its first overseas deal with a European retailer that is yet to be disclosed. Steiner said that this expansion deal was “the first of many.” 

While some have speculated that Amazon may make an offer on Ocado, Steiner asserted that this is not the case. 

"We’ve never been trying to sell ourselves... It’s not a focus of ours to try and sell the business," said Steiner. 

Ocado is most famous for its early utilization of software and automation to pick online grocery orders in huge warehouses, rather than by the slower and previous method of handpicked orders in-store. 

Will Ocado secure a U.S. partnership to challenge Amazon and Whole Foods in our domestic e-commerce realms? AndNowUKnow will report as the news unfolds.

Ocado