Amazon grocery head announces departure

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Amazon entered the UK grocery market in 2016 and has since opened Amazon Fresh stores. Credit: Getty / Images By Tang Ming Tung

The global head of Amazon’s grocery business Tony Hoggett has announced that he is stepping down.

Hoggett joined Amazon as senior vice president for worldwide grocery stores in January 2022 after a lengthy stint with Tesco, which saw him serve as group chief operating officer and chief strategy and innovation officer prior to his exit.

He also spent a period as CEO of Tesco Asia and UK chief operating officer. At Amazon, Hoggett was tasked with improving the Amazon Fresh store experience.

Announcing his decision to leave Amazon on LinkedIn, Hoggett said: “After nearly three years at Amazon, it’s time for the next step in my career. My time at Amazon has been incredible, and I’m grateful to my colleagues for their support, guidance and friendship.

“I’m optimistic about the work Amazon is doing to improve the grocery shopping experience for customers, and have no doubt the teams will keep the momentum going in my absence. I’ll be cheering you all on.”

Amazon entered the UK grocery market in 2016 after signing an agreement with Morrisons and has since expanded its presence through the opening of a number of Amazon Fresh stores.

Its online grocery service is now also partnered with Co-op and Iceland, although the reach of that service in the UK was reduced earlier this year.

Hoggett to join Wonder

Although he made no reference to his new role in his post, it was confirmed in a recent Fortune article that Hoggett will join food delivery startup Wonder Group.

Speaking to Fortune, Wonder founder Marc Lore said that the hire of Hoggett is “a testament to how well Wonder is performing”.

On the departure of Hoggett, an Amazon spokesperson added: “After nearly three years of leading our grocery business, helping guide the organization to new levels of impact, and building a strong team that will continue to make grocery shopping simpler, faster, and more affordable, Tony Hoggett has decided to leave Amazon.

“We thank Tony for his many accomplishments at Amazon and especially for what he’s delivered for customers.”

In other news, Food Manufacture has published its latest food and drink trends report​​​​​​​, summarising all the hottest topics from 2024 with insight from a slew of industry figures.