Morrisons has announced it is currently in talks with Ocado, as it looks to move into the online retail channel next year.

It said the discussions may form part of the implementation of an online strategy, however, they did not involve Morrisons acquiring any kind of equity stake in Ocado.

Morrisons revealed a 3% rise in turnover, to £18.1bn, in its preliminary results for the full year to 3 February, this morning (14 March).

Like-for-like sales, excluding fuel and VAT, fell 2.1%, compared to a 1.8% rise in the 2011/12 financial year. Profit before tax stood at £879m, down from £947m the previous year.

Among its strategic highlights was the continued roll-out of its tailored fresh food formats to more than 100 stores, which it is looking to expand in the coming year.

Dalton Philips, chief executive of Morrisons, said: "We are ready to accelerate the development of our multi-channel presence and our convenience operation is gaining real momentum acquiring over 60 new sites in recent weeks alone.

"We are therefore increasing our target for store openings in the coming year by 40% and now plan to have 100 stores trading by the end of the year.

He added that the announcement about the launch of its online food offer in 2014, was another important step in its strategy of being ‘Different and Better than Ever’.