Christopher Jones moves on up at UK grocery giant Asda as he bags retail technology promotion
Christopher Jones has taken on the permanent position of Senior Director - Retail Technology at Asda, a job he has been doing on an iterim basis for the past year. He has been at the UK grocery retailer for just over five years. Prior to that, Jones worked at Sainsbury’s for almost 18 years.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Excited to share that I’ve been promoted to Senior Director here at Asda. Five years ago, I joined with a passion for how technology can transform retail, and what a journey it’s been.”
He added: “I’m incredibly proud of what our team has achieved, most recently leading the Walmart/Asda separation, ensuring our technology estate stood up independently and that every colleague came with us every step of the way. This role is a huge privilege, and I don’t take it lightly. Thank you to the brilliant colleagues, leaders, and partners who’ve supported, challenged, and inspired me along the way - you know who you are. I’m proud of how far we’ve come and excited about what we can achieve next.”
Amazon Ads
Asda has announced a partnership with Amazon Ads. This will see the UK grocery giant become the first retailer outside of the US to introduce Amazon Retail Ad Service to its online stores.
Rolling out in phases from Q4 this year, the partnership will use the solution to deliver more relevant ads based on real shopping behaviour and intent. In practical terms, customers who know what they’re looking for will find it faster, while those who don’t will be guided to relevant products in one place, with less effort.
Rachel Eyre, Asda’s Chief Customer and Digital Officer, says: “We serve millions of customers each week and this partnership is about using technology to improve the online shopping experience by helping them to quickly find what they need. At the same time, it creates a stronger retail media proposition, giving our current and future brand partners a more effective way to reach customers, using deeper insight to deliver impactful and measurable campaigns. This builds on the partnership with Ocado we announced recently and is another clear step forward in how we’re using technology to improve the Asda shopping experience.”
“Amazon’s Retail Ad Service gives UK advertisers the signals, measurement and scale they need, in a way that is seamless and familiar from day one. This partnership is a significant step in making Asda the most effective and frictionless place for brands to reach British shoppers.”
For advertisers, the partnership promises clearer insights and better measurement, alongside a simpler way to plan and execute campaigns through familiar Amazon Ads tools and consistent cross-platform reporting. It also enables brands to scale activity across Asda’s platforms and Amazon Ads inventory.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Retail media will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
