Since we launched Retail Media Age last June, what impressed me most wasn’t just the growth of the industry, but the strength of the community that has emerged around it. In a short space of time, retail media has become a true ecosystem, a vibrant network of people driven by innovation, ambition, and collaboration.
Matt Hanlon, Director of Omnichannel & Media at Boots, spoke at MadFest North about the surprises he encountered stepping into retail media, and what the future holds for brands and retailers in this rapidly evolving space.
Yara El Saadani is Senior Commerce Strategy Director for UK and EU at WPP Media. She is a Campaign & Media Week 30 Under 30 honouree and has worked across WPP Media network for over 8 years. We asked what led her to retail media.
Retail media is entering a more disciplined and strategically-important phase. After years of rapid expansion and bold predictions, 2026 feels like a moment of consolidation, where integration, measurement and genuine collaboration between retailers and brands will define the winners. In this interview, we sat down with Ash White, Managing Partner at Dentsu, about why the sector is approaching a decisive turning point.
Chris Humphrey leads the Hello
Olivia McCullagh, Retail Media Lead, IAB UK joined the trade body In August 2025. from Tesco Media & Insight Platform, where she was most recently Senior Client Partner on the Mondelēz UK account. We asked what here route to retail media was.
Emily Latham is a digital capability coach and consultant. In a career spaning 20 years, previous roles included Head of Marketing Technology at Carwow and Head of Digital Marketing and Martech at Channel 4. We asked what led her to retail media.
Retail Media Age’s first industry lunch, brought together senior leaders from retail, media, agencies and technology to assess where retail media stands today and what must come next. Hosted by Justin Pearse, editor in chief of Retail Media Age, the event reflected the growing confidence of a channel that has moved rapidly from experimentation to expectation.
As retail media transitions from an experimental budget line to a core commercial engine, the industry faces a pivotal year of structural transformation. To explore the hurdles and opportunities ahead, the Retail Media Age advisory board recently met for a roundtable discussion.
Retail media has moved quickly from emerging opportunity to established line item on marketing budgets, but according to ISBA Head of Media Dan Larden, the most important work is only just beginning.
Retail media has moved rapidly
Retail media has moved fast over the past year, shifting from experimental add on to a core commercial priority for retailers, brands and agencies alike. For Uche Ofili, Director of Agency Partnerships at SMG, that evolution has been felt first hand. Speaking to Justin Pearse, Editor in Chief of Retail Media Age, Ofili reflects on a year of structural change, growing professionalism and the challenges that still sit ahead as retail media matures into a true investment channel.