Amazon UK chief John Boumphrey’s baptism of fire

John Boumphrey likely underestimated the challenges he would face when he assumed the role of Amazon’s UK leader.

In November 2020, during the peak of the second wave of Covid-19 infections in Britain, there was a significant increase in demand for Amazon’s services. This was due to customers being confined to their homes and resorting to online shopping.

Last year, he had to face additional chaos when the Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted global supply chains. This resulted in a significant increase in inflation and triggered a crisis in the cost of living.

However, the company’s growth since the pandemic has surprised even experienced employees. Boumphrey has witnessed the number of British workers increase to 75,000, more than twice the amount when he first began.

“It was a challenging experience with a steep learning curve,” he confesses. “I am eagerly anticipating a year of stability and routine, as I have not experienced one thus far.”

Boumphrey’s calm and jovial manner contrasts with the frantic hive of activity at our meeting place – the main floor of one of Amazon’s massive warehouses, or as the company calls them, ‘fulfilment depots, near Dartford on the south bank of the Thames.

Behind us, machines and employees are busy picking, packing and shipping thousands of items to waiting customers across Britain in a symphony of whirring conveyor belts, beeping barcode readers and aptly named ‘Slam’ (scan, label, apply and manifest) robots stamping addresses on packages. The warehouse itself, the size of six-and-a-half football pitches, is only slightly younger than Boumphrey’s tenure as UK manager, having opened its doors in 2021. 

And the rapid expansion that he has presided over shows no signs of slowing down. Amazon plans to open two more warehouses before the end of the year, one of which will be based in the West Midlands town of Sutton Coldfield and will create up to 1,400 jobs. 

The company will continue expanding its presence in physical retail stores through its Amazon Fresh brand.

Boumphrey disregards recent accounts of store shutdowns in certain regions, stating that it is an inherent aspect of managing the division.

Boumphrey states that as the country manager, one of his responsibilities is to advocate for the UK and ensure that it remains a top destination for investment.

In 1998, Amazon was introduced in the UK as an online bookstore led by its founder Jeff Bezos. It seemed that Bezos had a strong determination to disrupt the conventional publishing sector.

Since that time, it has expanded to become one of the largest employers in the private sector in the country and a comprehensive destination for purchasing almost any legally available item.

Last week, data was released revealing the top 25 most popular products on Amazon.co.uk. The list includes a variety of items, ranging from Andrex Gentle Clean toilet rolls to Crocs shoes, Earth Rated dog poo bags, and Nizoral anti-dandruff shampoo. It also features well-known products like Harry Potter books, the card game Dobble, and the Echo Dot smart speaker.

Boumphrey has witnessed the stark shift in shopping patterns over the past year as the cost-ofliving crisis has piled pressure on household budgets. 

“We have observed an increase in the purchase of generic products and a shift in the quantities bought. Consumers are either opting for bulk purchases to cut costs or selecting smaller sizes compared to their previous choices.”

However, there is one customer that the company can rely on without a doubt – the boss. He claims that he and his family purchase all their items from Amazon, including numerous Kindle ebooks to satisfy their reading needs.

Brought up on the Wirral near Liverpool, Boumphrey, 48, has a family legacy in retail. His father worked as a regional manager for US food giant General Foods, now a part of Kraft Heinz. His mother, meanwhile, initially stayed at home before retraining as an adult literacy teacher when he was a teenager. 

In his professional life, Boumphrey spent more than seven years as a manager at US consultancy Bain & Company before nearly five years at DIY retailer Homebase. He joined Amazon in 2011. Since then the retail and tech giant’s presence in Britain has exploded, with its workforce surging from around 2,500 staff. 

His ascent to the top of the British arm of the business almost mirrors the dramatic expansion of Amazon UK over the past decade, as well as how the retail landscape has altered drastically. 

He joined as a director of the music and DVD business, both of which have since been subsumed by streaming services such as Spotify, Netflix and Amazon’s own Prime arm. The father of three then steadily moved up the ranks, heading Amazon’s European fashion arm for just over two years before taking over as UK boss in 2020.

The current position he holds has provided him with a fresh viewpoint on the business landscape, which has brought up a particular concern. Interestingly, this concern does not revolve around the tax system, an aspect where Amazon often faces criticism for not paying its fair portion despite asserting to be among the top 15 contributors to Revenue and Customs.

Boumphrey admits that he has been too busy to contemplate the UK tax system, but emphasizes the significance of large corporations making their fair share of contributions to the country’s finances.

However, he expresses concerns regarding the condition of the UK’s competition regulations, suggesting that after Brexit, there is a chance for Britain to distinguish itself from other European countries.

He suggests that companies should be able to contest the content of decisions made by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), instead of just being able to challenge the procedure through which a conclusion is reached.

“The CMA holds considerable authority over companies, and they are unable to dispute the essence of a decision… I believe we should pursue an approach that allows appeals based on merits.”

“The United Kingdom has the chance to distinguish itself from the European Union. It is crucial to ensure that there are suitable mechanisms in place to maintain accountability and oversight.”

He states: ‘This is an untried system and I believe it is logical for companies and the Government to have an effective appeals process.’ Boumphrey does not disclose Amazon’s future plans in the UK, apart from the upcoming launch of two new fulfilment centers, possibly due to the influence of his superiors in the US.

“I regret to inform you that I do not possess the ability to predict the future,” he states, but emphasizes that Amazon will probably continue to prioritize the realm of “innovation,” which has a strong corporate connotation. A crucial aspect of this is the fast-evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically through computer programs like ChatGPT.

“He says that in the last six to 12 months, generative AI has made significant progress. He believes that this advancement will lead to a complete transformation of every aspect of the shopping experience.”

Amazon is already working to implement AI, with the technology currently being used in the US to help summarise thousands of customer product reviews. Does he ever find himself coveting the top job at Amazon and becoming the next Jeff Bezos?

Boumphrey expresses his immense joy and satisfaction in his present position, laughing.

“I consider it a great honor to oversee the operations of Amazon UK. We are handling a substantial enterprise, and I am aware of the duty I have towards the 75,000 individuals employed by us in Britain.”

He also seems uninterested in decamping to the US, where he previously worked for almost three years as Amazon’s head of consumables programmes at its Seattle headquarters. 

“I had the chance to work in that location and I truly enjoyed it. However, due to personal reasons, I am genuinely content to be back in the United Kingdom.”