Amazon appoints John Boumphrey as new UK boss

Amazon has announced John Boumphrey as the new boss of its UK operations.

The online retail giant said Mr Boumphrey will take over the role of UK country manager in mid-November, when current boss Doug Gurr will step down.

In June, Mr Gurr said he was leaving Amazon after nearly nine years to join the Natural History Museum as its new director.

The new UK chief is currently the vice president of Amazon Fashion Europe, having first joined Amazon nine years ago as its director of media in the UK.

Mr Boumphrey spent almost four years in the UK leading the company media, and home and leisure divisions, before moving to its headquarters in Seattle.

In his current role, he has led the group’s fashion operations in Europe, launching new brands and programmes, including Prime Wardrobe and The Drop.

Mr Boumphrey said: “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead Amazon’s UK business, helping us to serve our UK customers and communities, as well as supporting our employees and thousands of businesses the length and breadth of the country.

“It’s hard to imagine that there were around 2,500 UK employees when I started almost 10 years ago, and since then I’ve seen a UK workforce that will this year grow to more than 40,000.”

Last week, Amazon said it will create 7,000 new jobs in the coming months at its warehouses and other sites across the UK as it continues to expand after demand surged following the coronavirus lockdown.