Can Retail Media Be a Brand Channel? With Tesco's Tash Whitmey

Why It Matters

Tesco’s retail media evolution gives CPG brands a data‑driven, full‑funnel channel that rivals global tech platforms, potentially reshaping advertising spend and measurement in the UK.

Key Takeaways

• Retail media spending rose 18% to £3.8bn, driven by CPGs.
• Tesco launches video ads on website and app for brand storytelling.
• Club Card data powers predictive, AI‑fuelled audiences across the funnel.
• Retail media shifting from performance‑only to full‑funnel brand solutions.
• Tesco’s omni‑channel reach rivals Amazon, offering in‑store, online inventory.

Summary

Tesco’s managing director of Media and Insight, Tash Whitmey, explained how the retailer is positioning its media arm as a full‑funnel brand channel. The discussion highlighted the rapid expansion of retail media, with UK ad spend climbing 18% to £3.8 billion in 2024 and Tesco’s new video inventory on its website and app enabling advertisers to tell brand stories at the point of purchase.

Whitmey noted that growth is coming primarily from CPG manufacturers, but budgets are now being pulled from shopper, performance and even brand pots, reflecting a shift from test‑and‑learn to integrated, full‑funnel campaigns. Tesco leverages 30 years of Club Card data—24 million households—to build static, predictive and AI‑driven audiences that can be measured end‑to‑end.

A key quote underscored the strategic aim: “Retail media can close the gap between brand story and purchase.” The launch of video ads on Tesco.com extends the in‑store digital screen network online, giving brands a contextual moment to influence shoppers. Whitmey also emphasized Tesco’s omni‑channel advantage, combining in‑store, web and app inventory at a market‑share of 28.5 %.

The move signals that retailers can compete with global platforms like Amazon by offering richer data, measurable outcomes and a seamless customer journey. For CPGs, Tesco’s media platform promises a single, data‑rich venue to drive awareness, consideration and conversion, reshaping how brand and performance media are budgeted and executed.

Original Description

This week, The Media Leader is embarking on its first ever Retail Media Week in Focus.

The fledgling channel has been having a moment. Investment in retail media has grown substantially – in 2025, adspend in the channel grew 17.5% year on year, according to the latest AA/Warc figures.

Brands are seeking to join up the ends of the funnel by targeting consumers based on their shopping habits and measuring directly the link between ad delivery and outcomes within closed-loop retail environments.

But, as attendees heard at The Media Leader's Future of Brands event last week, with growth has come some scepticism – is retail media overhyped? Is it just useful for lower-funnel activations? How is it being defined on media plans?

One of the largest retail media players here in the UK is Tesco. Recently, The Media Leader reported that Tesco Media had launched new video ad inventory on its website and app as it looks to offer brand advertising opportunities to marketers.

Tash Whitmey is the managing director of the Tesco Media and Insight Platform. She joined host Jack Benjamin recently via video call to discuss the latest innovations the company is making, the state of the retail media market and how Tesco sizes up to global competitors like Amazon, and whether shopping habits are changing amid macroeconomic turbulence.

Highlights:

4:36: What's driving growth in retail media?

9:11: Innovations in retail media allowing movement up the funnel

15:49: How does Tesco stand up against its competitors, many of which are global?

24:57: Measurement standardisation needed

27:23: How shopping behaviour is changing amid macroeconomic headwinds

Related articles:

Tesco Media launches premium video inventory across website and app (https://uk.themedialeader.com/tesco-media-launches-premium-video-inventory-across-website-and-app/)

Is AI accelerating Google, Meta and Amazon’s dominance? Takeaways from Big Tech’s Q1 (https://uk.themedialeader.com/is-ai-accelerating-google-meta-and-amazons-dominance-takeaways-from-big-techs-q1/)

Global partners with Sainsbury’s and Nectar360 on audio measurement tracking (https://uk.themedialeader.com/global-partners-with-sainsburys-and-nectar360-on-retail-media-targeting-and-measurement-for-digital-audio-campaigns/)

If retail media networks want to talk like ITV, they have to act like ITV (https://uk.themedialeader.com/if-retail-media-networks-want-to-talk-like-itv-they-have-to-act-like-itv/)