Ocado, the online grocery retailer, is considering a float on the stock exchange next year, The Times has learnt.

The move will surprise many. Only last year, Jason Gissing, the former Goldman Sachs banker who cofounded the business ten years ago and is its finance director, rejected a possible float.

He said then: “I would rather shoot myself than be FD of a listed company. I didn’t start Ocado to sit in a room full of suits and have them abuse me about quarterly earnings.”

Despite Ocado still making losses, the team, whose main customer and shareholder is Waitrose, the supermarket, has had a change of heart. Mr Gissing said that he had been encouraged by an IPO by OpenTable, an American online restaurant booking service, which floated while breaking even.

A listing would also make it easier for Ocado to expand internationally. It has been approached by retailers who want it to run their online operations abroad, as Ocado did initially for Waitrose.

The timing of the announcement is likely to surprise many in the City, who did not expect an Ocado flota-tion before it delivered profits. Mr Gissing, said that could come “early next year”.

Procter & Gamble, the American consumer goods group, bought a stake this year, valuing the company at £500 million. Since then estimates of its worth have risen to £600 million, or about 1.3 times its annual sales, which would represent £130 million in shares for the founders and management.

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