Woolworths’ drinks arm says that its latest appointment will strengthen the relationship between supplier and retailer, at a time when customer expectations have “never been higher.”

Michael Jackson has been appointed to the role of director – merchandising, marketing and customer insights for the Endeavour Drinks Group.

Martin Smith, managing director of Endeavour Drinks Group, said that Jackson would bring the three disciplines together “to bridge our customers expectations to our suppliers, product development and marketing strategies.”

“The future of retail will be about aligning our suppliers with our customer requirements to truly understand their behaviours,” he said.

“Michael’s deep experience in retail merchandising has allowed us to set up our customer insights team to better focus on how we best serve our customers.”

Jackson said that having an integrated customer insights team would allow the company’s merchandise and marketing teams to better connect with supplier partners.

Previously serving as the head of merchandising for the Dan Murphy’s liquor chain, Jackson also held roles at the Coles supermarkets chain as a merchandise lead and business category manager.

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