- Ocado Retail launches new aisle made up exclusively of products from female-founded businesses, in partnership with Buy Women Built
- Ocado’s ‘Buy Women Built’ aisle is the first of any major UK supermarket and offers more than 1000 products from 130 female-founded brands
- Initiative comes as research finds 64% of people believe it is important to champion female-founded businesses
Ocado Retail has launched an aisle dedicated solely to products from female-founded brands, the first by a major UK supermarket.
The aisle, launched in partnership with ‘Buy Women Built’, offers consumers a convenient way to shop the latest brands built by female entrepreneurs. Shoppers will be able to shop from a huge range of emerging brands such as Bold Bean Co, Pimentae and Hunter & Gather to household brand names like Pip & Nut, Little Moons and Biotiful, offering a taste of everything from margaritas to mochi and kefir.
Ocado’s new aisle will feature more than 1,000 products from 130 brands across four categories including Food and Beverage, Health and Beauty, Home Care & Cleaning and Kids. The backstories of a number of founders will also be featured on the site, giving customers a deeper understanding of the people behind the products they’re buying.
Research by Natwest, a partner of Buy Women Built, reports that only 1 percent of all-female teams receive venture capital investment*. If women started and scaled businesses at the same rate as men, £250 billion of new value could be added to the UK economy**. Ocado’s online model provides a crucial route to market for many emerging brands – often being the first supermarket to list them – which offers a first ‘foot in the door’ and an opportunity to scale by reaching a national customer base.
Research undertaken by Ocado Retail and Savanta reveals there is a growing appetite for products from female-founded businesses. Polling among more than 2,000 consumers revealed***:
- 64 percent of people believe it is important to champion female-founded businesses to help inspire more women and create more opportunities
- 64 percent believe buying from female-founded businesses helps promote diversity in the business world
- 61 percent say they feel like they are directly supporting gender equality by purchasing from female-founded brands
- 51 percent would shop more female-founded brands if it was clearly signposted
Hannah Gibson, CEO of Ocado Retail, says: “With the largest range of products than any other supermarket, we’re often the first to give new brands a foot in the door with their first retail listing. I know how important it is to support female entrepreneurs, especially those who are just starting out, and create a space where female-led businesses can thrive. By collaborating with Buy Women Built, we’ve been able to curate an amazing selection of products from inspiring brands, and support a movement that helps nurture female entrepreneurship.”
Sahar Hashemi, founder of Buy Women Built, adds: “The dedicated Buy Women Built aisle at Ocado represents a powerful step towards fostering a more inclusive and innovative marketplace. It’s not just a convenient way to find products—it’s a statement of support for female founded brands. By creating this aisle, Ocado is giving consumers a tangible way to back female founders and make a difference with every purchase as they ‘Buy Women Built.’
This aisle is more than a collection of exceptional products; it’s about showcasing the innovative solutions women are creating through their brands by solving their own real-world challenges; deeply aligning with customer needs. Every item in this aisle tells the story of a woman entrepreneur breaking barriers, and with each purchase, we are not only helping to create a stronger economy but also inspiring the next generation of young girls to dream bigger.”
Amelia Christie-Miller, founder of Bold Bean Co comments: “Being part of the Buy Women Built initiative with Ocado feels like a pivotal moment for Bold Bean Co. It’s not just about reaching a broader audience but about amplifying a movement that supports women-led businesses. Consumers have the power to drive change simply by choosing brands that share their values, and through this collaboration, we’re able to make that choice easier and more impactful.”
Earlier this year Ocado launched the largest Best of British aisle of any UK supermarket, featuring more than 800 products from British farmers. This new Buy Women Built aisle further demonstrates Ocado’s commitment to championing the best of British independent businesses.
The Buy Women Built aisle is now available to shop on ocado.com, and Zoom by Ocado – its rapid delivery service – just search ‘buy women built’ in the search bar.
*Rose, Alison. The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship. HM Treasury, 2019, p. 15. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-alison-rose-review-of-female-entrepreneurship
** Rose, Alison. The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship. HM Treasury, 2019, p. 6. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-alison-rose-review-of-female-entrepreneurship
***Savanta research conducted September 2024
