News Briefs

Perion has acquired in-store retail media company PRN.

The move accelerates Perion's in-store retail media DOOH reach and its total addressable market with the $70 billion U.S. retail media space.

The all-cash $12 million transaction will result in PRN operating as Perion Retail Networks, with no disruption to existing retailer or advertiser relationships.

Physical retail accounts for more than 80% of U.S. retail commerce, and in-store media inventory has become one of the most coveted components of major consumer brands' media plans, reaching customers at the point of purchase. As advertisers push for full-funnel omnichannel continuity, closing that gap has become a structural requirement for the industry.

By combining premium in-store inventory with three of the fastest growing advertising verticals —commerce, CPG and health care — Perion is expected to attract larger advertiser budgets and accelerate growth across both the retail media and DOOH channels.

The acquisition of PRN scales Perion's digital suite directly into exclusive point-of-purchase environments, extending its solutions through to the final layer before purchase.

Over time, Perion expects to leverage programmatic execution to in-store retail media, operating within the rules each retailer sets for content, frequency and store experience. With PRN, Perion's offering spans programmatic digital-out-of-home (DOOH), commerce, social, in-store retail media, CTV and direct demand relationships, within a single execution layer.

By combining PRN's established retail footprint with Perion's digital scale, the acquisition is intended to advance four strategic priorities:

1. Multi-vertical and geographic expansion: Point-of-purchase media across warehouse club, pharmacy, consumer electronics and grocery environments. This includes a top warehouse club's 4K TV network across more than 750 warehouse club locations in North America, a top big-box retailer across more than 4,500 stores and a leading national healthcare retailer across more than 2,200 stores.

2. Exclusive in-store retail media inventory: Adding exclusive, multi-year inventory agreements with national-scale tier-1 retailers across warehouse club, big-box and healthcare retail.

3. Last-mile to point-of-purchase precision: Combining Perion's programmatic DOOH footprint with PRN’s in-store network to reach shoppers across the full last mile, from the commute to the shelf, placing brands in front of shoppers as they compare products and make final purchase decisions.

4. Retail media market expansion: Opening access to net-new advertiser budgets within the $70 billion-plus U.S. retail media market. The larger opportunity is in-store’s role as the closing layer on full-funnel campaigns.

7-Eleven is expanding its digital promotions capabilities through a new partnership with Ibotta that brings performance-based offers to shoppers across its 7-Eleven, 7NOW and Speedway apps.

Under the agreement, Ibotta will serve as the exclusive third-party provider of CPG digital offers — excluding age-restricted products — across the retailer's digital platforms. The partnership gives CPG brands access to more than 11,500 U.S. 7-Eleven and Speedway stores, and a loyalty ecosystem of more than 100 million members.

The collaboration also extends the Ibotta Performance Network into the convenience channel, enabling brands to run pay-for-performance promotions in which they only pay when a verified sale of their product occurs.

Consumers will be able to clip Ibotta-powered offers within the 7-Eleven, 7NOW and Speedway apps before making purchases in-store, at the pump or through delivery. Rewards will be deposited directly into their 7Rewards or Speedy Rewards loyalty accounts.

According to the companies, the partnership also brings closed-loop measurement capabilities to convenience retail promotions at scale, allowing brands to measure campaign performance based on verified purchases.

The partnership marks another step in 7-Eleven's ongoing investment in digital engagement and loyalty, while providing CPG manufacturers with an additional avenue to reach convenience shoppers through targeted, measurable promotions.

Heaven Hill Brands has selected Brandhub, the trade marketing platform from Select Design, to manage point-of-sale program execution across its retail network.

The Kentucky-based spirits supplier will use the platform to plan, order, track and measure POS activity across its portfolio of brands, which includes Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Deep Eddy Vodka, Tequila Ocho and Lunazul Tequila.

According to Brandhub, the platform will centralize program management, including budget administration and approvals, multi-vendor ordering, order tracking, real-time dashboards and field-level access on both desktop and mobile. The platform will also allow Heaven Hill sales representatives to place and track orders for pre-approved materials directly.

“We were impressed by the strength of Brandhub’s ready-built platform — it offered the core functionality we needed, with the flexibility to solve challenges unique to our business,” said Lynn Hasson, director of marketing procurement at Heaven Hill Brands.

The selection follows an evaluation process in which Heaven Hill identified its requirements for a trade marketing platform. Heaven Hill joins a growing roster of alcohol beverage producers using Brandhub for retail marketing execution.

Loblaw Cos.' retailer media network, Loblaw Advance, has made Criteo its preferred demand partner in Canada.

The agreement appoints Criteo as a direct sales agent for Loblaw Advance email display placements, expanding advertiser access to premium audiences across Shoppers Drug Mart, PC Optimum and PC Express newsletters.

The move brings Criteo's demand capabilities to the Loblaw Advance network, giving brands and agencies a new path to reach high-intent Canadian shoppers.

The Loblaw Advance connected commerce ecosystem is backed by:

• More than 18 million active PC Optimum loyalty members,
• 2,500 store locations,
• a leading e-commerce business,
• and approximately 25 million opted-in emails deployed each week.

"Loblaw Advance is focused on building high-quality, measurable retail media solutions that help advertisers connect with Canadian shoppers in more relevant ways," Leanne Gibson, SVP at Loblaw Advance, said in a statement. "Criteo brings established commerce media expertise, strong agency and brand relationships, and the demand capabilities to help more brands activate through our loyalty-linked email channels. This partnership allows us to extend our sales reach while maintaining the quality, control and trusted execution standards that define Loblaw Advance."

The partnership underscores both companies' commitment to advancing retail media in Canada and creating more effective ways for brands to connect with shoppers through trusted, high-intent environments.

Barrows Connected Store has appointed Brian Anthony vice president of connected creative strategy for North America.

In the role, Anthony will be tasked with helping retailers and brands develop in-store retail media strategies, creative experiences and performance-driven content. 

He'll lead the development of creative frameworks and strategic programs tied to the company’s technology platform, according to a company announcement. This will include developing creative systems and agentic workflows; advancing storytelling across physical and digital channels; and working with commercial, product, technology and client teams. 

He will also develop capabilities intended to help retailers and brands generate greater value from connected retail media.

Anthony previously held leadership roles at Triad Retail Media and CitrusAd, where he worked with retailers and consumer brands on creative solutions that connected marketing strategy with business outcomes.

The appointment follows the addition of Kathryn Mazza as chief growth officer for North America and the promotion of Tim Bagwell to chief technology officer.