Sir Stuart Rose says Ocado cannot recruit coders in Poland quick enough, claiming computing is an area retailers “have to get a grip on.”
“Only 18 months ago we had 200 people writing code. Now we have 750. We had 200 in Krakow, but we had to move into another city as well, because we’d already used up all the good graduates in Krakow,” the Ocado chairman said.
Rose’s comments follow Ocado launching its Code for Life initiative last year to help improve the teaching of computing in schools.
“You can’t rely on the government to do anything, it’s slow. But we can make a difference. And it’s important to become involved in communities,” said Rose.
Speaking at the MetaPack delivery conference this week, Rose went on to discuss how important technological advancement is to retail.
“I was brought up being taught that the customer is king, but now the customer is master of the universe.
“The Internet of Things will happen, though we cannot predict very easily when. You need to be nimble and have your antennae up in the air, everywhere, because 50% of what you do is not what you plan - it’s what some other bugger does to you. And your customer doesn’t care if your business model isn’t profitable. What matters to customers is stuff like a good food delivery service.”
Rose also addressed current debates on the EU, stressing his position as a free marketeer and his belief in the importance of the global economy. “Fundamentally, I think it’d be wrong for the UK to come out,” Rose said. “However, if you are a member of a club for 19 years and in that time the members have trebled and the rules have changed, I think it’s perfectly legitimate to negotiate terms. But I do think it would be bad for Britain to leave.”
No comments yet