London, 15 March 2018 - GS1 UK, the supply chain and data standards organisation, has today announced that Patrick Pondaven, Director, Consumables at Amazon, has joined its Supervisory Board.

Amazon joins at a time when GS1 UK is working closely with leading retailers and suppliers in grocery to implement an industry-wide solution for managing product data, which will improve efficiency and the experience for shoppers. This is the first time Amazon has been represented on GS1 UK’s Supervisory Board and this move recognises the company’s ongoing collaboration with GS1 to endorse GS1 unique identifiers as way of improving data quality in the Amazon product catalogue. The number of members joining GS1 UK to sell their products via online marketplaces has surged over the past year as businesses use this channel to find new customers and sell in new geographic markets.

Patrick Pondaven joined Amazon in 2009. Starting in Germany, he led the Audio Video department before becoming Director, Consumer Electronics division in 2011. In January 2016 he moved to the UK, where he now leads the Consumables division which includes the Health & Personal Care, Beauty, Baby, Pets, Grocery, Beer, Wine and Spirits product categories. Prior to joining Amazon, Patrick worked for Philips in various roles in Belgium, USA, Canada and the Czech Republic.

The Supervisory Board is responsible for the governance of GS1 UK and determines the organisation’s strategy, annual operating plan and budget. Its members are represent GS1 UK’s user base and include senior Directors from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, John Lewis, the Department of Health, Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Unilever, Nestle, Mondalez and Mammy Jamias.

Patrick Pondaven, Director, Consumables at Amazon said: “It’s great to be joining GS1 UK’s Supervisory Board at a time when so many small businesses are selling and growing their businesses on Amazon and is also working at an industry level in retail to address the challenges of product data management.

“GS1 standards have been used by Amazon for several years now as a way of identifying products we sell and supporting our drive to improve the quality of our data, helping us in turn to improve the customer’s experience. GS1 has a vital role to play in supporting growth in retail and in other sectors and I am keen to be part of GS1’s development as its proposition adapts to the digital age.”

Jim Spittle, Chairman of GS1 UK, said: “The retail landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, driven by the need for speed and convenience and the emergence of new channels. The traditional grocery shop has now become an online experience and has opened up to new players. And many SME brands are now choosing online marketplaces as their first route to market for their products, because they can get access to millions of consumers around the world, without the costs of developing their own website.”

“Patrick’s energy and passion as a leader and his role at one of the great digital pioneers will be a great asset to our Board. He will have an important role to play in developing our approach so that we can support simpler trading and borderless growth for our members.”

The number of GS1 UK members selling on online marketplaces has increased by 300% in the past 12 months and this community now represents just under 30% of its 33,000 members. A recent GS1 UK survey indicated that the growth in the use of online marketplaces looks set to continue with more than half (53%) of UK retailers and brands planning to do more business through this channel in the next five years.

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About GS1 UK

For further information or requests for interviews, please contact Tim Haidar: 020 7092 3584 / Tim.Haidar@gs1uk.org.

GS1 UK is a community of over 33,000 members working in retail, foodservice, healthcare and more. GS1 UK is one of 112 independent, not-for-profit GS1 organisations operating across 150 countries worldwide. GS1 UK helps everyone involved in making, moving and trading goods, automate and standardise their supply chain processes using the common language of GS1 global standards.

www.gs1uk.org