Retail Media in 2026: Inside a £2.7 Billion Career Opportunity

Retail media has become one of the fastest growing parts of the UK advertising landscape, creating new commercial opportunities for anyone building a career in media.Episode OverviewIn this episode of It's A Yes! Making It In Media, Debra Sharron and Jo Wood explore how retail media has evolved from a niche shopper marketing function into a central pillar of modern marketing plans. They unpack the formats brands are buying, the skills employers are looking for, and what it actually takes to build a commercial career in this space.Later in the episode, they're joined by Nick Ashley, Propositions and Go-To-Market Director at Tesco Media, who shares how first-party data, AI and a career spanning agency, client and media owner roles are shaping the future of retail media.What This Episode CoversWhy retail media has moved from shopper marketing to the centre of brand strategyThe full range of formats, from on-site placements to in-store screens and connected TVWhat experience actually transfers into a retail media careerWhy data literacy matters, even in roles that aren't data-ledHow Tesco Clubcard data is turned into audiences brands can act onThe practical role AI is playing in creative, targeting and self-serve platformsWhy measurement and proving incrementality remain a live industry challengeWhat it takes to manage both an advertiser and a retailer as two separate clientsYES ListScoring Points and Brand is Dead, Long Live the Customer — Clive HumbyDebra and Jo recommend this pair of books by Clive Humby, co-founder of Dunnhumby and one of the driving forces behind modern customer data science.Scoring Points tells the inside story of how Dunnhumby conceived, pitched and launched the Tesco Clubcard back in 1995, turning raw transaction data into one of the UK's richest customer insight ecosystems. Brand is Dead, Long Live the Customer, written in the mid-2000s, predicted the shift away from mass, untargeted advertising towards personalised, first-party customer relationships – exactly the shift retail media is built on today.Both are essential reads for anyone working in retail media, data-led sales or commercial strategy who wants to understand where the industry's current thinking actually came from.Top takeout: First-party data only becomes valuable once it's turned into insight brands can act on. Understanding that shift – from raw data to genuine customer relationships – is the blueprint behind modern retail media.Available at major retailersGet In TouchSend your questions to [email protected] from Jo & DebraSubscribe to Jo and Debra’s newsletter, to get the key insights and takeaways from each episodeJoin one of Debra’s upcoming media sales workshopsFollow the show on YouTubeFollow the show on SpotifyFollow Jo on LinkedIn hereFollow Debra on LinkedIn hereDisclaimerThe views shared on this podcast are for general information only and reflect personal experience. They should not be taken as specific career, legal or financial advice.