Latest news with #Buechel
CNBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Amazon launches same-day delivery of meat, eggs, produce in more than 1,000 cities
Amazon is rolling out same-day delivery of fresh foods to more pockets of the U.S. as it looks to encourage shoppers to add meat and eggs to their order while they're browsing its sprawling online store. The company announced Wednesday it's bringing the service to more than 1,000 U.S. cities and towns, including Raleigh, North Carolina, Tampa, Florida, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with plans to reach at least 2,300 locations by the end of this year. Amazon began testing the service in a handful of cities last year, where it found shoppers frequently added strawberries, bananas, avocados and other perishables to their order. "Many of these shoppers were first-time Amazon grocery customers who now return to shop twice as often with same-day delivery service compared to those who didn't purchase fresh food," the company said in a release. The service is free for Prime members on orders over $25 in most cities, or for a $2.99 fee if an order doesn't meet that minimum. Shoppers without a Prime membership pay a $12.99 fee to use the service, regardless of order size. Amazon has been retooling its grocery business over the past few years. The company has tweaked its chain of Fresh grocery stores in a bid to attract more shoppers, and it opened up fresh food delivery to shoppers who aren't Prime members. It's also looked to highlight its growing business selling household staples like paper towels, cleaning supplies, bottled drinks and canned food. In January, Amazon tapped Jason Buechel, the CEO of Whole Foods Market, the upscale grocer it acquired in 2017 for $13.7 billion, to lead its worldwide grocery stores business. Buechel announced in June that the company was bringing Whole Foods closer to the Amazon grocery umbrella as part of a reorganization. Previously, Whole Foods had remained largely independent from Amazon's own grocery offerings.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
What made Amazon's grocery head 'angry' during internal meeting: We are ...
Amazon 's grocery division head Jason Buechel erupted during an internal staff meeting last week, calling the company's multilayered approval processes "ridiculous" and declaring they were "wasting time" on administrative red tape that's holding back business initiatives. The Whole Foods CEO and Amazon VP of Worldwide Grocery was responding to an employee who complained about "multiple levels of approval" slowing down decision-making across the grocery business, according to a recording obtained by Business Insider. "The feedback I've gotten from team members and employees is that ultimately, we're wasting time," Buechel said during the meeting. "It's taking too long for decisions and approvals to take place, and it's actually holding back some of our initiatives." 'One Grocery' push drives restructuring Buechel's frustration comes as Amazon undergoes a major grocery business overhaul under his "One Grocery" initiative, which aims to integrate teams from Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh , and Amazon Go . The restructuring has already led to at least 125 job cuts in the Fresh division this week, though Amazon attributed those to a Seattle-area store closure. The company has identified slow-moving procedures in spending and transaction policies as key targets for streamlining, with different policies between Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods creating administrative bottlenecks. Bureaucracy concerns nothing new at Amazon This isn't the first time Amazon's grocery division has faced internal criticism over bureaucratic inefficiencies. In 2021, company leaders had to address concerns about the grocery business's underperformance and deteriorating workplace culture, as previously reported by Business Insider. Since then, the division has seen significant leadership changes, including Buechel's predecessor Tony Hoggett leaving after three years. Amazon has also downsized its cashierless Just Walk Out technology business and slowed Fresh store expansion. The restructuring aligns with CEO Andy Jassy 's company-wide mandate to eliminate bureaucracy and remove inefficient processes, encouraging employees to flag rules that slow operations.
Business Insider
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Amazon's Whole Foods chief slams 'ridiculous' bureaucracy in internal meeting: 'We're wasting time'
Amazon is on a mission to cut red tape. The company's grocery boss is going full beans on this goal. During an internal staff meeting for Amazon's grocery business last week, an employee pressed leadership on how the company plans to speed things up, saying "multiple levels of approval" was slowing down decision-making, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by Business Insider. Amazon's VP of Worldwide Grocery Jason Buechel, who's also the CEO of Whole Foods, pounced on the question. He described certain aspects of the grocery business's internal bureaucracy as "ridiculous" and blamed this for bogging down the business. Amazon has identified several slow-moving procedures, such as spending and transaction policies, and is streamlining them to reduce time wasted on "administrative details," he added. "The feedback I've gotten from team members and employees is that ultimately, we're wasting time," Buechel said. "It's taking too long for decisions and approvals to take place, and it's actually holding back some of our initiatives." "One Grocery" Amazon recently overhauled its grocery leadership team and pulled Whole Foods closer into the fold. Since taking over Amazon's entire grocery business earlier this year, Buechel has prioritized integrating teams from Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, and Amazon Go through an initiative called "One Grocery." Eliminating bureaucracy has become a central mandate at Amazon, with CEO Andy Jassy emphasizing the need to remove inefficient processes. Over the past year, the company has trimmed management layers and encouraged employees to flag rules that slow things down. An Amazon spokesperson told BI that Buechel was highlighting the different spending and transaction policies between Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods as an example of where the team is working to "simplify administrative processes." The company is "more optimistic than ever" about grocery, the spokesperson added. 'Overlapping work' The restructuring is leading to job cuts, too. Amazon laid off at least 125 employees in its Fresh grocery division, according to a public notice earlier this week. The Amazon spokesperson told BI that the job cuts were the result of a Fresh grocery store closure in the Seattle area, adding that affected employees have been given the opportunity to transfer to positions at nearby locations. During last week's meeting, Buechel said identifying "overlapping work" across the grocery business is a top priority for the year. He added that this month's restructuring, which brought Whole Foods corporate staff under Amazon programs for pay and performance, aims to create a more "consistent experience" across grocery teams. Concerns over bureaucracy in Amazon's grocery division aren't new. In 2021, company leaders had to respond to criticism over the grocery business's underperformance and deteriorating workplace culture, BI previously reported. Since then, Amazon's grocery division has seen major changes, including a wave of new leadership. Buechel's predecessor, Tony Hoggett, left his role after 3 years. Amazon has downsized its cashierless Just Walk Out technology business and slowed the expansion of Fresh grocery stores. Buechel said at last week's meeting that he couldn't address every question because plans are still being ironed out. He also noted the grocery team faces "a lot of work ahead" and hinted that some resources will "pivot" to other areas. One area Buechel is keeping a close eye on: the competition. He said he visits rival stores weekly to stay inspired and monitor industry shifts. "I am a grocery geek," Buechel said. "I love going into our stores, but I love going into competition."
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
This Amazon division may be planning major leadership changes
Amazon 's grocery division, which is now led by Jason Buechel , is reportedly planning major leadership changes , including a reorganisation of Whole Foods. This marks the first significant restructuring under Buechel, who recently began overseeing Amazon's entire grocery business . According to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider (BI), Buechel has assembled a new leadership team. This team combines experienced executives from both Whole Foods and Amazon. Buechel, who became Whole Foods' CEO in 2022 and was promoted to head Amazon's full grocery operations in January, now aims for a deeper integration of Whole Foods with the e-commerce giant's platform. The memo suggests that these changes are necessary to accelerate the growth of Amazon's grocery business. This move comes nearly eight years after Amazon acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. What Amazon grocery chief Jason Buechel said in the memo 'Too frequently, we are duplicating efforts and missing easy opportunities for efficiency. We have a big opportunity to work smarter across teams and simplify how we approach shared needs,' Buechel wrote in the memo seen by BI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The new leadership structure is organised into seven core business areas, covering technology, operations, and marketing. As per the memo, the appointments are: The new leadership team is split into 7 main business areas, including technology, operations, and marketing. Here's the full list, according to the memo: "Anand Varadarajan, VP of product and technology, will lead Worldwide Grocery Technology and Supply Chain Bill Jordan, Whole Foods EVP of Operations, will lead Worldwide Grocery Store Operations Christina Minardi, Whole Foods' EVP of Growth and Development, will lead Worldwide Grocery Real Estate Growth and Development Ganesh Rao, VP of Amazon Fresh International, will lead Amazon Fresh International and Grocery Partnerships Karen Christensen, Whole Foods' SVP of merchandising, will lead North America Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Whole Foods' chief merchandising and marketing officer, will lead Worldwide Grocery Marketing & Private Brands and Whole Foods Market Business Vishy Subramanian, VP of Amazon Grocery Logistics, will lead Amazon Grocery Logistics Astu Patel, senior manager of product and engineering, will be the Business Operations Manager Kim Wells, senior director of growth and innovation, will lead strategic retail initiatives Amy O'Hay, VP of PXT Worldwide Grocery Stores, will lead HR Heather Stern, Whole Foods SVP of legal affairs, will lead legal Keith Manbeck, VP of finance, will lead finance Kristen Kish, director of communications, will lead PR" Android 16 IS HERE! Live Notifications, Tablet Desktop Mode & MORE! AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now About the Author TOI Tech Desk The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity. Read More End of Article by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links Recommended For You One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... 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Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Supermarket CEO issues stark warning about availability of popular products: 'We will not be able to source certain things'
The CEO of one of America's largest grocery chains has a stark warning for customers about the impact of climate change and extreme weather on the ability to buy some of your favorite foods. "We will hit certain points where we're not able to source certain things," said Jason Buechel, the CEO of Whole Foods and the VP of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores, in an interview at the Food Tank Food Summit held at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Citing egg and dairy shortages over the holidays as an example, Buechel warned: "We're going to see that with more products within our grocery stores." Buechel said it's critical that customers understand what's happening to food supply chains as warming temperatures cause extreme weather events to become more intense and frequent. According to Bayer's 2024 Farmer Voice Survey, more than 60% reported "significant revenue loss" due to adverse weather over the past several years. "We have to bring some of these things to broader awareness so customers know these things are happening, which can tie back to climate change," he said. While access to products or increased prices are challenging for consumers, it impacts farmers even more. That hits close to home for Buechel, whose grandparents were dairy farmers. "Being a farmer isn't easy alone, but one weather event could affect the entire crop for their business for that year," he said. "Because of the volatility with climate events," he said some farmers are wondering, "Is it worth it?" When grocery stores do have a challenge sourcing products like berries, impacted by destructive flooding in Brazil last year, they are usually able to find that product from another country, "so customers don't feel the pain as much as farmers within our supply chain." But Buechel said that's not always going to be the case. What's the most common reason you end up throwing away food? Bought more than I could eat Went bad sooner than I expected Forgot it was in the fridge Didn't want leftovers Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While customers may not see it in the stores, there's a lot happening behind the scenes at Whole Foods to address one of the biggest sources of emissions: food waste. "This for me is a personal passion project," Buechel said. "At the end of the day, it's actually rotting food in our landfills that's a bigger contributor of methane gas than cows. For us, [the question is,] 'How do we tackle that issue on all fronts?'" That includes: ◉ Partnering with their suppliers to ensure they aren't over-producing or over-ordering to line up supply and demand ◉ Making surplus products available to the food insecure through food donations in every metro area, and where necessary, turning extra food into animal feed◉ Offer customers discounts on food that may otherwise be heading to the landfill through partnerships with apps like Too Good To Go, a program Buechel says has diverted over 1 million pounds of food over the past year while offering a 50% discount on bakery and other items In the United States, food waste is estimated at 30-40% of the food supply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Buechel also spoke about Whole Foods' mission to help people "eat healthier, have more delicious food, and do things better for the soil and the farmers." Its "Sourced for Good" program highlights products that are good for the environment, good for workers growing those products, and good for the community. Take bananas, for example, many of which are sourced from Earth University, an organization that seeks to improve the working conditions of banana farmers while also taking care of the environment. "Sharing those stories helps influence the decision around what customers are going to buy," he said. "As retailers … as storytellers, we have to figure out how to find the best ways to connect with this generation and harness the influence that they're going to have in creating the changes that we need in the industry," he said. "What I get excited about is that [the next generation] truly are making buying decisions in line with their values." Just as important as the products Whole Foods sells in stores, Buechel said, "It's actually the products and items that we don't sell, is what differentiates us," referring to over 500-plus banned ingredients the company doesn't offer because they don't meet standards. Buechel hopes Whole Foods can become a model for the industry. "Our goal is having a ripple effect. We want other folks to copy us," he said. "We constantly challenge our competitors: 'Join in.' We want to help protect our food systems and nourish people and the planet." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
