Ocado has appointed former Getir UK head of buying, commercial and partnerships Neil Franklin as its new director of ambient grocery.
He will start the role on 13 November, reporting to Amit Chitnis, the ex-Tesco exec who is set to take over as chief commercial officer from Rose Price who is retiring at the end of 2023.
Franklin previously worked for Ocado from 2017 to 2020 as head of ambient goods, where he led the trading team.
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He has since worked at Waitrose as interim ecommerce development manager, and most recently at Getir UK where he led the buying, ecommerce and supplier partnership team.
However, Franklin announced his departure from the rapid delivery firm in September.
At the time, he posted to LinkedIn: “I started this job with a blank sheet of paper. The goal was to build a team that would create the range and merchandising proposition for Getir’s first international market via as much direct supply as possible and gain leadership in the rapid grocery space.
“I have had a lot of fun along the way, learned a lot and delivered so much, but you know when it is time for a new challenge.”
According to The Grocer, Price told suppliers in an email: “We’re very excited Neil will be bringing this extensive experience and expertise back to Ocado.”
