Tony Hoggett has been at the helm of the tech giant's grocery brand for just over two years and replaced the famous Just Walk Out system - which allows shoppers to buy items in a store without waiting in a queue or checking out - with smart shopping carts instead but he is now about to take the "next step" in his career.

He wrote on LinkedIn: "My time at Amazon has been incredible, and I’m grateful to my colleagues for their support, guidance and friendship. I’m optimistic about the work Amazon is doing to improve the grocery shopping experience for customers, and have no doubt the teams will keep the momentum going in my absence. I’ll be cheering you all on."

The Just Walk Out system remained in place in the UK, despite Hoggett removing it in the US.

At the time, a spokeswoman explained to The Observer: "“We’ve invested a lot of time redesigning a number of our Amazon Fresh stores over the last year, offering a better overall shopping experience with more value, convenience, and selection – and so far we’ve seen positive results, with higher customer shopping satisfaction scores and increased purchasing."