GameStop hires Amazon executive as chief growth officer

GameStop said on Tuesday it named Amazon.com executive Elliott Wilke as chief growth officer, the latest top level appointment after shareholder Ryan Cohen took charge of the video game retailer’s e-commerce pivot.

The company’s shares, which were at the heart of a Reddit-driven retail trading frenzy early this year, rose nearly 5% in pre-market trading.

GameStop is in the process of shifting its business away from the brick-and-mortar retailer model and into an e-commerce business that can compete with large-scale retailers like Target and Walmart, as well as technology firms such as Microsoft and Sony.

Signaling a broader overhaul, at least two executives have departed since – Chief Customer Officer Frank Hamlin and Chief Financial Officer Jim Bell.

Wilke, who has spent nearly seven years at Amazon and last led its Fresh Stores business, will oversee growth strategies and marketing at GameStop.

The company on Tuesday also named former Chewy.com executives Andrea Wolfe and Tom Peterson to lead brand development and merchandising, respectively.