Jet.com's New President a Veteran of Tesco, Ocado
Simon Belsham has been named president of Jet.com, reporting to Marc Lore, co-founder of Jet and currently president and CEO of Walmart eCommerce U.S., who revealed the news in an email to associates. Belsham will oversee the full scope of operations for Jet, which was acquired by Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart in 2016; his brief will include driving an integrated customer experience with grocery and general merchandise.
Belsham previously spent seven years at U.K. grocer Tesco, leading the company’s Grocery Online transformation from “tablet to table” for all of the United Kingdom, as well as 10 markets across Central Europe and Asia. He also built a general merchandise platform for U.K. e-grocer Ocado. His most recent position was CEO of venture-backed Notonthehighstreet.com, a curated gifting platform. “His omnichannel experience and track record of innovation from his time in consumables and durables will help spearhead Jet’s focus to be the leading online retailer for the urban consumers,” noted Lore.
Belsham will eventually be based at Jet’s Hoboken, N.J., headquarters, but will work from its Dublin office until he finalizes his move from the United Kingdom. “He couldn’t wait to start, and I was not going to say no to that,” said Lore.
“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,” added Lore.
Reporting to Belsham will be current Jet leaders Andrew Gasper, general manager of Hoboken, responsible for Jet’s business operations and transformation; David “Ech” Echegoyen, chief customer officer, overseeing all customer-facing aspects of the business; and Jack Hanlon, who oversees customer analytics and insights.
“I’ve long been an admirer of both Walmart and the Jet founders, and together we have a formidable team combining some of the world’s best retailers and entrepreneurs,” said Belsham. “There are so many ways technology can change retail and be a force for good in our lives. In my view, there is no business better positioned to take advantage of the opportunity ahead than the combination of Walmart and Jet. I believe this creates a unique moment to build something very differentiated and engaging for customers, and I’m eager to roll up my sleeves and lead Jet during this exciting and transformative time.”
In the grocery space, recent research found that while Walmart.com was the most preferred online retailer for buying fresh foods, Jet was tops for packaged groceries. Additionally, last October, Jet debuted a “carefully curated,” distinctively packaged private label collection across the cleaning, coffee, laundry, pantry, paper and food-storage categories.