John Lewis takes ‘big step forward’ in retail media
What: John Lewis Partnership expands its retail media network beyond owned websites to enable partner brands to advertise through streaming services and external consumer sites.
Why it is important: By combining grocery and non-grocery data insights, John Lewis is creating a unique proposition in the retail media landscape that could set new standards for cross-category advertising.
John Lewis Partnership has announced a significant expansion of its retail media capabilities, moving beyond its own websites to offer partner brands advertising opportunities through streaming services and external consumer sites. This strategic initiative, developed in partnership with technology specialist Epsilon, leverages first-party data from both its Waitrose grocery stores and John Lewis department stores. The retailer's retail media lead, Jemma Haley, emphasises that this development enables a comprehensive understanding of diverse purchase journeys, from immediate necessities to considered purchases. Initially operating as a managed service with dedicated campaign execution teams, the platform plans to evolve into a self-service model, allowing brands to have greater control over their advertising activities. This expansion represents a significant step in creating an integrated retail media offering that spans multiple retail categories while maintaining customer data privacy and targeting precision.
IADS Notes: The retail media landscape has seen significant evolution throughout 2024-2025. In October 2024, several retailers, including Boots and Co-op, enhanced their media networks to leverage customer data more effectively. By February 2025, industry analysis showed that retail media was capturing 70% of spend from traditional advertising channels, while July 2024 research indicated that these networks could potentially double retailers' margins, from 1.7% to 4.3%. John Lewis's expansion aligns with this trend, following Macy's success in generating $155 million in media network revenue and Bloomingdale's strategic focus on data democratisation for enhanced customer engagement.
