Waitrose poaches Sainsbury’s loyalty boss

Waitrose has poached Sainsbury’s director Alex Lovell to be its new head of loyalty ahead of the upmarket grocer’s relaunch of MyWaitrose.

Lovell has spent the last 11 years at Sainsbury’s as its head of loyalty, head of brand growth, and most recently as customer director for its Smart Charge EV business.

She will report into Waitrose’s customer director Nathan Ansell and will be responsible for all elements of loyalty, The Grocer reported.

Her appointment comes as the premium grocer prepares to revamp its loyalty offer with a new pan-partnership scheme with John Lewis later this year.

Ansell said: “She brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this role, most notably from her time as head of loyalty for Sainsbury’s and Argos where she has a track record of delivering innovative, customer and commercially led change across grocery retail.

“Alex has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities of loyalty in the grocery sector, and we’re thrilled for her to join us here at Waitrose.”

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