Amazon has appointed Eric Andriol as Senior PM, AI Transformation Lead & New Stores Format Strategy, WW Grocery Stores Private Brands.

He has been with the company for almost eight years and was previously Senior Product Manager, Selection Strategy & AI Transformation – EU Grocery Stores Private Brands.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “After two years as a Senior Product Manager in Amazon EU Food Private Brands leading selection strategy and more recently our AI transformation, I’m excited to share what’s next in 2026.”

He added that his scope now expands to Amazon and Whole Foods Market food private brands globally – covering EU, US, and APAC markets (Japan, Singapore) across online and physical stores. His time will be split between leading an AI transformation programme and developing selection strategy for new store formats including sub same-day and Amazon Now (<30 min delivery).

He added: “As Doug Herrington, CEO at Worldwide Amazon Stores, stated: “We are continuously innovating to make grocery shopping simpler, faster, and more affordable for customers.” Grocery represents $100+ billion in annual sales thanks to sustained investments in selection, price, supply chain, and technology. Customers purchased 15% more Amazon private brand products in 2024, we are delivering same-day perishables to 2,300+ US cities, and redesigning physical stores.”

Andriol also touched upon building synergies between Amazon and Whole Foods Market under Jason Buechel’s leadership. “As VP of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores and CEO of Whole Foods Market, Jason is bringing together Whole Foods’ 45-year quality heritage with Amazon’s tech capabilities and operational scale,” he said.

“I will now work across multiple brand positions including 365 by Whole Foods Market, Amazon Grocery, Amazon Saver, and by Amazon, looking forward to learning more about North American and Asian customer preferences.”

Amazon, he noted, invested $125 billion in AI infrastructure in 2025. “As Andy Jassy stated: “AI is a once in a lifetime reinvention of everything we know” and “the largest technology transformation since the cloud”. I’m thrilled to lead this transformation for our organisation, driving fluency, deploying agentic solutions to augment capabilities, and reducing rote work while ensuring responsible deployment.”

Andriol concluded by stating that, after historic food inflation, private label has emerged stronger: US sales hit $271 billion in 2024 (+3.9%), while Europe leads with $409 billion (+6%) at 39% value share and 46% volume share. “Own label shouldn’t mean low quality. I’m proud our teams maintain high quality standards and lead on organic offerings. It’s about democratising access to quality food,” he commented.

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH proudly presents the first edition of its AI in Retail Awards, sponsored by VenHub Global, 3D Cloud and EdTech Innovation Hub.

This is now open for entries. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 5th December. It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Check out categories and entry forms here.

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers’ businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work – resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January. This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.