New leadership delivered to AmazonFresh, Whole Foods
AmazonFresh and Whole Foods are getting new leadership. Steve Kessel, a veteran lieutenant of Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, is now responsible for the physical retail and fast-delivery operations for the two, as well as for Prime Now and Amazon’s physical book and convenience stores, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited several people familiar with the situation.
“The goal,” reported the WSJ is to “ease changes across those platforms as Amazon tries to reinvent the way consumers shop in stores.”
Kessel took the reigns of Whole Foods upon the acquisition in August. He has recently added Prime Now and AmazonFresh to his responsibility.
The Journal further reported that “analysts, investors and rivals are closely watching Amazon’s efforts in rapid-delivery and physical retail, and in particular how it integrates Whole Foods. Potential changes, analysts say, include combining supply chains of its grocery operations and adding fast Whole Foods deliveries.”
The changes do not come out of the blue.
“I think over time you’ll see more cooperation and more working together between AmazonFresh, Prime Now and Whole Foods as we explore different ways to serve the customer,” Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said during a quarterly earnings call late last month.
Mastering food delivery has not yet come easy for the online giant. Just last week it was reported that AmazonFresh would be eliminated in certain ZIP codes around the country.
