Omnichannel retail media platform Zitcha is launching operations in Europe with an office in London, which will be led by Darren Jacobs and Dan Sands, who have been appointed as EMEA sales directors.
Zitcha’s retail media platform integrates on-site, off-site, and in-store assets and works with retailers in seven countries, including Coles Group (Australia), The Warehouse Group (New Zealand), Peavey Mart (Canada), and Axonet (US). The platform also collaborates with global brands, including Unilever, Fisher & Paykel, and Microsoft.
The European retail media market is maturing quickly as retailers and brands look for omnichannel solutions to unify their existing offerings and streamline their operations to capitalise on digital advertising’s third wave. In Western Europe, retail media is expected to peak in the UK, where eMarketer predicts ad spending is set to almost double from US$4 billion in 2024 to US$7.91 billion by 2027.
CEO Troy Townsend said that the Zitcha team has had many conversations with major players in the UK/EMEA market for the year and sees it as “mature and innovative with a cast of really great retail media networks.”
“We already have partners and runs on the board in the UK, and I believe the growth for our solution and its ability to scale brand and retail businesses is compelling.”
Townsend added that the Zitcha team was looking forward to be working with Jacob and Sands. He said: “Their knowledge will be exceptional in helping set the tone and culture for Zitcha in the UK. Expect more in the near future as we see Europe as a critical region for us.”
Sands joins Zitcha with over a decade of experience working in retail, supporting brands and retailers, globally, to optimise how they engage shoppers. He was EMEA sales director for CitrusAds, where he worked with retailers to create a unified retail media offering.
Most recently, Sands was the EMEA director of retail partnerships at Firework. Prior to that he held multiple leadership positions at Nielsen Brandbank, working with retailers such as Carrefour, Tesco, Sainsbury and Loblaws to create, manage, measure and optimise product content.
Sands said of joining the Zitcha team: “It’s the channel with the most excitement around it right now, and we’ll be here for all European retailers and brands to build on those expectations within the sector.”
Jacobs has spent two decades honing his sales craft across multiple markets including the UK, Singapore and Australia working for Dennis Publishing, Yahoo, iClick, Nugit and Shuttlerock. The latter three were global sales leadership roles saw him focus on go to market and building teams in multiple markets.
He has also worked with all the major media agency networks, plus directly with global brands and partners such as Nestle, P&G, Unilever, Kellogg’s, Diageo, Stellantis, Ford, Meta and TikTok.
“Zitcha is genuinely a one-stop-platform for brands and retailers. Retail media provides so much opportunity and is the fastest growing advertising sector,” Jacobs said.
“It’s grown rapidly and with Zitcha’s European arrival, that’s only set to act as a further catalyst for maturation as retailers can harness the platform’s power across markets and buy retail media across multiple retail media networks on a single platform.”
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Top image: Troy Townsend