Ocado

Former Goldman Sachs merchant bankers Jonathan Faiman, Jason Gissing, and Tim Steiner established the online grocery store Ocado in April 2000. Ocado was introduced in January 2000 as an idea, and in January 2002, it began trading as a business in conjunction with Waitrose, which is a part of the John Lewis Partnership.

Michael Grade joined Ocado as its non-executive chairman in September 2006. During a stock transfer in November 2008, the John Lewis Partnership contributed 29 percent of its shares to the company's employee pension fund. John Lewis Partnership and Ocado signed a 10-year branding and supply partnership in May 2010. The John Lewis pension fund divested its entire stake in Ocado in February 2011.

Hatfield, England, is home to Ocado Group, a British company that licenses supermarket technology. It also has a 50% stake in the Ocado.com retail business in the United Kingdom (with rival retailer Marks & Spencer holding the other 50%). The stock is traded on the London Stock Exchange, and the company is included in the FTSE 100 Index.

Founded: April 2000
Headquarters: Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, UK
Website: www.ocadogroup.com