Co‑op is boosting its retail media proposition by creating a nationwide digital out of home network, which it claims will make it the fourth largest digital outdoor advertiser in the UK, behind long-established ad businesses JCDecaux, Global and Bauer Media Outdoor.
Co-op Media Network Out of Home will target both endemic and non-endemic brands and is built on the strengths of convenience, designed to develop brand awareness and advocacy and to stand apart from retail media channels focused on sales conversion.
While traditional OOH typically focuses on major commuter routes, research shows that the average person makes around 18 journeys a week and only 12% are commuter trips – meaning the majority are local, everyday journeys such as school runs, worktime breaks and quick errands.
Co-op’s estate adds a high-frequency layer to DOOH by delivering visibility across the other 88% of journeys, with additional uplift at peak commuting times due to many stores being within 100 yards of a bus stop or train station. The result, the retailer claims, is consistent, repeat exposure driven by smart network design rather than complex planning.
Operated in partnership with Smart Outdoor – a specialist DOOH sales house – Co-op’s DOOH estate provides neighbourhood-level presence at national scale, with the aim of offering consistent, everyday frequency that roadside-led networks have often struggled to deliver.
Utilising Co-op’s network of 1,000 front-of-store digital advertising screens – located in a diverse range of locations across the UK, from city centres and residential areas to countryside and the highlands – Smart Outdoor will lead planning and buying to ensure the estate fits into agency workflows, while Co-op will retain ownership and responsibility for the long-term direction of the new operation.
Additionally, Co-op’s DOOH estate will unlock new territories across the UK where brands have been previously unable to reach customers with outdoor digital advertising messages due to lack of technology. These territories stretch across 23 unique locations and have the capacity to reach a population of over one million people.
Co-op director of marketing and media operations Richard Smith said: “Over the past two years, Co-op Media Network has successfully used a convenience shopping environment to differentiate itself from the big‑box retail media logic and, in doing so, created a neighbourhood based DOOH estate that champions frequency and presence. The growth of the screen network has been a strategic decision and we’re now able to show our intent as one of the UK’s largest digital outdoor advertisers.”
Smart Outdoor chief commercial officer Mark Clancey added: “Built in local communities, Co-op Media Network Out of Home elevates the neighbourhood as a powerful, underrepresented channel. Frequent visits and steady footfall deliver exceptional reach for brands of every size. Powered by rich insight, it connects neighbourhood precision with national impact to help deepen audience understanding and drive more meaningful engagement.”
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