As the online grocery wars rage on, Walmart’s Jet.com has named its next president, former Tesco and Ocado exec Simon Belsham. The move indicates that the online retailer is following in its parent company’s footsteps and placing a greater emphasis on grocery sales for growth.
Belsham will oversee all operations, including grocery and general merchandise, and join Walmart’s U.S. e-Commerce leadership team, according to an internal email sent by Marc Lore, head of Walmart’s e-Commerce business. He will start March 26, report to Lore and be based at Jet’s Hoboken, N.J. headquarters, according to the note acquired by Reuters.
He succeeds Liza Landsman, who announced plans in January to leave Jet.com and join New Enterprise Associates (NEA), a venture capital firm. Landsman had held the President title since January 2017. She first joined Jet.com as its Chief Customer Officer in March 2015, serving in that role until her promotion.
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Belsham spent seven years at Tesco, building up its online grocery operation for the UK and 10 markets across central Europe and Asia. He also developed a general merchandise platform for Ocado, a UK-based online grocer. Most recently, Belsham served as the CEO of Notonthehighstreet.com, an online retailer that sells home décor, jewelry and other gift-related items, from May 2015 to September 2017.
“With Jet Grocery being an integral part of the strategy, Simon brings incredible experience in scaling grocery delivery and his unique background in converging technology and retail to create amazing experiences for customers,” Lore said in the memo.
Lore has said Jet.com seeks to target consumers in urban markets who might not frequent Walmart stores. Late last year the retailer launched its own private-label grocery brand, Uniquely J, in a bid to win more of those shoppers’ dollars and boost profit margins.
