Ocado to close Hatfield warehouse, putting 2,300 jobs at risk

Online retailer to open new site in Luton but sales have fallen back after Covid lockdowns

Ocado and Marks & Spencer’s online retail joint-venture is to close its oldest warehouse, in Hatfield, putting up to 2,300 jobs at risk.

Ocado said the orders handled at the warehouse in the Hertfordshire town would be switched to the group’s other automated warehouses, including a new site scheduled to open in Luton later this year. The Hatfield site processes about a fifth of Ocado.com’s 400,000 weekly orders.