Co-op plans to install 300 digital screens to expand retail media capabilities.
- Partnership with SMG aims to boost Co-op’s digital media strategy.
- Screens target high-traffic areas across Co-op’s 2,400 stores.
- Rollout aims for 24 stores per week, finishing by January 2025.
- Expansion promises increased brand engagement and advertising metrics.
Co-op has announced a strategic initiative to enhance its retail media offerings by installing 300 new front-of-store digital media screens. This significant investment, developed in partnership with independent retail media operator SMG, will increase the total number of screens across Co-op’s 2,400 stores to 9,300. By focusing on high-footfall locations, this move aims to maximise visibility for brands and improve advertising effectiveness.
The screens will be strategically placed at the entrance, in the foyer, or the windows near the entrance of Co-op stores. These locations are chosen to capture the attention of shoppers entering and exiting, thus ensuring maximum engagement. Concentrated in areas such as Greater London, Greater Manchester, and North Yorkshire, Co-op is targeting to operationalise 24 stores each week with this technology until January 2025.
This expansion is a part of the wider objectives of the Co-op Media Network (CMN) to elevate its digital capabilities. It allows Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brands to significantly augment their engagement across Co-op stores. Existing kiosk and checkout screens will be complemented by the new installations to enable brands to collaborate with CMN on impactful in-store campaigns focusing on core missions such as food-to-go and food-for-later scenarios.
Matt Hood, Co-op Food’s managing director, articulated the vision by stating, “We’re the experts in convenience, and given our unparalleled shopper footfall, we want brands that invest with us to realise that retail media spend in Co-op stores can yield significant results that can importantly be measured, with a consistent return on investment across the board.”
The latest digital media expansion follows Co-op’s launch of the UK’s inaugural convenience retail media network earlier this year. This development highlights Co-op’s commitment to diversification in advertising approaches to better meet shopper needs and provide brands with a broader audience reach.
This strategic advancement reinforces Co-op’s position as a leader in the convenience sector’s retail media landscape.
