Christian Raveaux is Director, Retail Media Connect at the co-operatively organised REWE Group, which operates a range of convenience stores, supermarkets, drugstores, DIY stores and ecommerce retailers as well as wholesalers and travel businesses.
He has a long history in retail, having spent more than 16 years at REWE Group with a previous tenure at department store chain Karstadt. He spoke to Retail Media Age about his background and how he moved into retail media, as well as how he envisages the space developing over the coming years.
Raveaux will also be a judge at the upcoming RMX Awards on 14th May and spoke about the parts of the judging process that he anticipates most.
Can you talk a bit about your role at REWE Group and what it involves?
I lead Retail Media Connect at REWE Group, where I’m responsible for the strategic development, scaling, and commercial success of retail media across brands like REWE, PENNY, and ZooRoyal.
At its core, my role is about bringing commerce, media, technology, and data together into a coherent and scalable proposition. That means building products that work for brands and agencies, while staying true to the retailer’s primary responsibility: creating value for customers and shoppers.
A big part of my job is also organisational: aligning different business units, breaking down silos, and ensuring that retail media is understood and owned as a group-wide growth pillar, not a side project.
What’s your background, and how did you come to move into retail media?
I’ve spent almost two decades at the intersection of retail, strategy, and customer loyalty. Earlier in my career, I was closely involved in building PAYBACK at REWE, which gave me a deep appreciation for first-party data, customer relevance, and long-term value creation. Retail media was, in many ways, a natural evolution.
Once you understand how customers behave, how loyalty works, and how retail ecosystems function, the question becomes: how do we responsibly monetise that insight while improving the customer experience? Retail media sits exactly at that crossroads—and that’s what drew me in and continues to motivate me today.
What do you find most exciting about the retail media space at the moment?
What excites me most is that retail media is moving from experimentation to professionalisation. We’re seeing a shift from isolated campaigns to full-funnel, always-on strategies that combine branding, performance, and in-store touchpoints.
At the same time, the industry is starting to understand that relevance beats pure inventory thinking. The real opportunity lies in using first-party insights to create meaningful connections with shoppers rather than just adding more ad slots. This combination of scale, data depth, and real-world commerce impact is something you
simply don’t find in any other media channel.
What do you think will be the most notable developments in retail media over the next few years?
I expect three developments to stand out:
- Stronger standardisation – in measurement, KPIs, and definitions, making retail media easier to plan and compare.
- Deeper omnichannel integration – especially between digital, app, and in-store environments like digital signage and audio.
- Closer alignment with brand strategy – retail media becoming a core part of brand-building, not just a performance add-on. Retail media will increasingly be judged by its incrementality, transparency, and contribution to long-term brand growth, not just short-term ROAS.
What can we expect to see from the industry in the future?
We’ll see an industry that becomes more mature, more demanding, and more collaborative. Brands will expect clearer value propositions, agencies will push for interoperability, and retailers will need to balance monetisation with trust. Those players who succeed will be the ones who treat retail media not as a media business alone, but as a customer-centric growth engine embedded in retail strategy.
What do you see as the biggest challenge to unlock the full potential of retail
media?
The biggest challenge is maintaining relevance at scale.
Retail media only works if it enhances the shopping experience. That requires disciplined use of data, clear governance, and constant alignment between commercial goals and customer value. If retail media becomes intrusive or purely yield-driven, it risks undermining trust. Solving that tension – between monetisation and relevance – is key to long-term success.
What are you most looking forward to as a judge for the RMX Awards?
I’m looking forward to seeing how diverse and mature the ecosystem has become. The RMX Awards are a great reflection of how fast retail media is evolving; from tech innovation to strategic partnerships and creative excellence.
As a judge, I’m particularly interested in cases that demonstrate real impact, collaboration, and customer relevance; not just impressive numbers, but sustainable thinking that moves the industry forward.
Learn more about the RMX Awards, taking place on 14th May at HORIZON 22, London.
