Amazon recruits senior marketer and reveals record sales in the UK

Amazon.com, the giant US-based Internet retailer, has appointed a permanent UK marketing director and announced its first UK sales figures.

The company, which last month appointed Steve Frazier of US shoe retailer Payless as managing director (MW January 13), has named Tom Allchurch, former new business development director at Unilever Food & Beverages Europe, as its marketing chief.

His arrival ends a series of temporary appointments to the post following the sudden departure of Chris Ketley last August.

Frazier has also announced Amazon.co.uk has achieved fourth quarter sales of &£26m – 430 per cent higher than the &£4.9m achieved in the same period last year. It is the first time the company has revealed sales for separate regions.

Allchurch, who was once marketing director for Unilever Home & Personal Care in South Africa, takes over a revamped marketing department which includes new head of marketing communications David Osborne, who joined before Christmas, and head of PR Christina Smedley, who started last month.

It is not known if Allchurch will review agencies. The incumbents are HHCL & Partners and Total Media.