Upmarket supermarket Waitrose has poached online grocer Ocado‘s senior e-commerce executive Tony Rivenell as its new Head of Omnichannel Delivery, it has been announced today.
Joining Waitrose in June, Rivenell previously operated as Head of Product and User Experience at Ocado, where he developed the company‘s e-commerce and m-commerce platforms while buildingits creative and brand function.
Rivenell‘s new role replaces that of Head of Online and Retail Development and highlights Waitrose‘s commitment to providing a seamless customer experience across all channels.
Earlier this month, Waitrose announced that online sales surged 49 per cent in the year to January 26th 2013 and it is hoped that Rivenell‘s role will capitalise on this boost and aid in the growth of the retailer‘s digital presence.
Ocado is a distributor of Waitrose‘s products and last week confirmed that leading supermarket Morrisons has entered talks to use Ocado‘s technology to drive its long-awaited online grocery channel.
Commenting on the appointment, Robin Phillips, Waitrose Director of e-Commerce, said: “I‘m delighted that Tony will be joining the Waitrose e-commerce team as head of omnichannel delivery.
“Tony will be responsible for leading the development of Waitrose.com and for delivering a truly omnichannel shopping experience for Waitrose customers.
“His remit will include the development of cross channel strategies for mobile and collection services, bringing together online and in-shop customer shopping experiences.”
