(Alliance News) - Ocado Group PLC shares slipped on Monday, after the company reported a fire in a London fulfilment centre following a collision between three robots.
Ocado said it expects "some disruption" to its delivery operations as a result. The incident occurred on Friday in Erith, south-east London.
"The correct protocols were successfully implemented including the evacuation of the building, the activation of the sprinkler system and the presence of the London Fire Brigade. No one has been injured and all colleagues on site are safe. The damage is limited to a small section of less than 1% of the grid having been contained by planned fire attenuation measures," the company said.
"Aside from some residual smoke smell, the vast majority of the customer fulfilment centre is in good condition. While we expect some disruption to operations, we are working to restore normal service as soon as possible. We expect the facility to begin operating within the coming week and thank customers whose orders are affected for their patience."
The facility has a capacity of 150,000 orders per week, the company said back in March.
In February 2019, a fire destroyed its Andover customer fulfilment centre, including the building, machinery and all inventory held on site.
Ocado shares were 1.9% lower at 1,771.50 pence each in London on Monday afternoon.
By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com
Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.