Amazon executive moves to restaurant chain Wonder

Tony Hoggett, previously responsible for Amazon's advancements in the area of physical retail, is taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer at the delivery-focused restaurant chain Wonder. The American company is based in New York and is led by experienced entrepreneur Marc Lore. Wonder operates 27 quick-service restaurants in the Northeast of the USA, offering a variety of culinary styles from a single location. Partnerships with top chefs like Bobby Flay and Marcus Samuelsson enable the provision of signature dishes for customers who primarily use pickup and delivery options. Since its founding, the company has raised $1.5 billion and plans to open 100 additional locations by January 2026. Special attention is also given to trials with branches in four Walmart Supercenters. Hoggett, who began his career at Tesco, had been responsible for the opening of new physical stores at Amazon since 2022 and led a relaunch of Amazon Fresh supermarkets. In doing so, he focused on retail fundamentals, replacing a sophisticated but less successful checkout system with smart shopping carts that offer a cashier-less shopping experience. Despite Wonder's strong roots in the food sector and its ownership of the meal kit provider Blue Apron, Lore emphasizes that Hoggett's hiring is not meant to signal an expansion into the food sector. Primarily, Wonder values Hoggett's extensive experience in opening and running tech-supported retail stores, including managing hourly employees and his expertise in fresh goods supply chains. A recent acquisition of the delivery firm Relay further strengthens Wonder's delivery capabilities.