Etail Power List: Bezos retains his crown as most influential in online retail

To view the full Etail Power List 2016 click here.

Bezos, who made his debut at number one on last year’s Etail Power List, holds the top spot after a stellar year for Amazon in the UK.

Amazon now takes about 20% of all UK general merchandise sales and, according to investment bank UBS, it pocketed a quarter of all UK non-food growth in 2015.

In the past 12 months, the etailer launched its fresh food offer Amazon Fresh, takeaway delivery service Amazon Restaurant, re-ordering button Amazon Dash as well as extending its one-hour delivery service Prime Now across more UK cities.

Bezos leads a trio of Amazon directors in this year’s Etail Power List. Doug Gurr re-enters the list at number three, following his appointment as Amazon’s UK country manager earlier this year, while vice-president of Amazon Fresh Ajay Kavan takes the number seven spot.

Coupe’s multichannel vision recognised

Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe takes the title as the highest new entrant on the Etail Power List as he makes his debut at number eight.

Coupe’s high ranking is in recognition of his multichannel vision in his £1.4bn acquisition of Argos last month. The Sainsbury’s chief executive is aiming to create a multichannel powerhouse through the deal and Argos’s supply chain and digital prowess is set to benefit the grocer.

Three further Sainsbury’s representatives join Coupe in the top 50 – Sainsbury’s Argos chief digital and marketing officer Bertrand Bodson, Sainsbury’s technology and digital director Jon Rudoe and the grocer’s newly promoted director of online, Clodagh Moriarty.

This makes Sainsbury’s the retailer with most appearances in this year’s Etail Power List.