Simpson, who has been at Asda for over eight years and acted as the grocer’s general counsel and company secretary since 2013, will step down from his role at the retailer on September 12.

During his time at the grocer Simpson was tasked with drawing up and offering legal advice on Sainsbury’s and Asda’s proposed merger, which went on to be blocked by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Simpson’s appointment will strengthen Amazon’s ties to the UK grocery market as it works to gain market share with its Amazon Fresh online offering, Whole Foods acquisition and the much-speculated UK launch of its check-out-free Amazon Go store format.