Tesco’s retail media arm Tesco Media has appointed its first chief operations officer.
Lauren Bolles has joined the company from Walmart’s advertising platform Walmart Connect, to serve in the newly created role “designed to support Tesco Media’s next phase of growth at pace”.
The role means Tesco Media “can move faster, operate more efficiently and focus on the work that delivers the greatest impact for customers and partners”, it said.
Bolles has been chief operating officer at Walmart Connect for the past four years, leading “significant operational transformation and enabling the business to scale rapidly”.
In a LinkedIn post, Bolles said “one of the greatest gifts of my time at Walmart has been the deep, unwavering focus on the customer”.
“It’s a mindset that shapes every decision and has profoundly influenced how I think about leadership and business. As [Walmart co-founder] Sam Walton said: ‘There is only one boss. The customer’,” Bolles added.
Tesco – like many of its rivals – has been ramping up its retail media efforts in recent years. It has been rapidly expanding its network of in-store digital screens, as well as launching location-based ads on self-scan handsets.
Late last year, Tesco Media launched Tesco Media Creative Studio, which will work with brands to quickly create compliant ads in multiple formats using generative AI. The supermarket also began filming customers to monitor how they respond to digital advertising screens in its stores.
According to data released today by WARC Media, global retail media ad spend is set to reach $196.7bn in 2026, overtaking the combined linear and connected TV spend next year, having amounted to barely a quarter of the total TV market in 2019.
“Tesco Media has built real momentum in recent years, becoming the ultimate media partner for brands of all sizes, and we’re proud of the partnerships and reputation we’ve established,” said Tash Whitmey, Tesco Media MD.
“Lauren brings outstanding experience from one of the world’s most advanced retail media organisations and she will ensure we are operating at the scale and pace of our ambitions, so that we continue delivering exceptional value for brands, agencies and customers,” she added.
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