Coronavirus: Ocado closes website down as demand soars
Online supermarket Ocado has closed its website for several days as it grapples with a surge in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The delivery company said it is temporarily shut until 21 March in order to “complete essential work” to make product and delivery slot distribution as “fair and accessible” as possible.
In a statement posted on its website the company said it is “managing a simply staggering amount of traffic” and is fully booked for the next four days.
Ocado chief executive Melanie Smith said in a statement this morning: “Like all supermarkets, we are working round the clock to keep up with high demand and make sure all of our customers get what they need at this time – especially those more vulnerable and in isolation.
“As a result, we have made a decision to temporarily close access to Ocado.com so you will not be able to edit an existing order or book a new delivery for the next few days.”
It added: “We’re managing a simply staggering amount of traffic to our website right now and more demand for products and deliveries than we can meet.
“Our first priority has to be to keep our service up and running and to play our part in feeding the nation.”
Meanwhile, delivery slots for Asda and Sainsbury’s are completely sold out.