Charged with developing and future-proofing the sales channel broadly regarded as having the biggest potential for growth in British retail, these individuals must be prepared to be leaders of innovation.

Leading an etail strategy is one of the most powerful jobs in retail. Charged with developing and future-proofing the sales channel broadly regarded as having the biggest potential for growth in British retail, these individuals must be prepared to be leaders of innovation. Without an intuitive understanding of consumer behaviour and strong internal leadership skills to create change, etail innovation would be in short supply. That makes the 50 names listed here truly worthy of praise and recognition.

For the second year in a row, Chris North - boss of arguably the most influential etailer in the UK - has held on to the
top spot after a year spent spearheading Amazon’s push into more categories and steadily extending the etailer’s offer.

Behind North, Nick Robertson, leader of the Asos powerhouse, retains second position thanks to his hands-on approach in making Asos one of the greatest success stories in UK retail.

Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner has shot up the rankings this year taking third place after inking a sensational £216m deal with Morrisons to launch its online grocery offer. Steiner’s leadership this year opens the door to a range of new possibilities for Ocado. And all eyes will be on the new model to see if it can be rolled out to other businesses overseas.

There are a total of 18 new entrants to this year’s list, compared with just nine in 2012, which reflects the scores of etail champions joining the ranks of one of the most fast-paced and fast-growing sectors of retail.

This year’s biggest riser - jumping six places to occupy the eighth spot - is Argos managing director John Walden.

Last year he unveiled a strategy to make Argos a digital leader, and since then there have been a number of eye-catching initiatives, most striking of which is the tie-up with eBay.

He is widely tipped to be the next chief executive of parent group Home Retail.

This year there have been some high-profile fallers, but that is more of a reflection on the number of new entrants than any fall in standards elsewhere. The Etail Power List is all about reviewing tangible results and assessing what individuals have achieved in the last year.

The breadth of personality on show here demonstrates why British etail remains at the forefront of digital commerce worldwide and why this growth engine continues to propel the industry.

 

 

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