Co-op is enhancing its retail media offering with an investment in 300 front-of-store digital media screens.
- The installation will increase Co-op’s total screen count to 9,300 across their 2,400 stores.
- Screens are strategically placed in high footfall areas like Greater London and Greater Manchester.
- Co-op aims to activate 24 stores per week until January 2025.
- This expansion reflects Co-op’s strategy to boost engagement for FMCG brands across its portfolio.
Co-op has announced an ambitious plan to expand its digital media footprint by introducing 300 new front-of-store digital media screens. This initiative, executed in collaboration with independent retail media operator SMG, aims to bolster Co-op’s retail media offerings significantly by increasing its total screen count to 9,300 across its 2,400 stores.
The digital screens will be strategically located in areas with the highest footfall, specifically targeting regions such as Greater London, Greater Manchester, and North Yorkshire. Co-op plans to activate 24 stores per week with these new screens, continuing this pace of deployment until January 2025. This move is an integral part of Co-op Media Network’s (CMN) broader ambition to enhance its digital capabilities, offering FMCG brands greater opportunities to engage with a broader audience.
Alongside existing kiosk and customer-facing screens at manned tills, the new front-of-store installations will allow brands to work closely with CMN on various in-store campaigns. These campaigns will primarily focus on achieving specific goals related to food-to-go, food-for-later scenarios, and treat occasions.
Matt Hood, Co-op Food’s managing director, emphasised the retailer’s prominent position in convenience and its unparalleled footfall, noting, “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.”
Hood further highlighted the strategic value of their digital screen rollout: “The digital screen roll out has been designed to utilise Co-op’s superpower as a media owner, with a store in every postal code area we’re primed to deliver on reach and our high frequency of shoppers ensures that brands gain maximum visibility. Our investment into digital screens solidifies Co-op Media Network’s position as the UK’s largest and leading media owner in the convenience sector.”
This digital media expansion marks a continuation of Co-op’s earlier efforts, which included the launch of the UK’s first convenience retail media network earlier this year. This initiative seeks to enhance advertising relevance for shoppers while enabling brands to reach wider audiences.
Co-op’s digital media expansion underscores its commitment to leveraging retail media to enhance brand engagement and shopper experience.
