Australian retail media platform, Zitcha, is broadening its international reach with the opening of a new office in the UK, to be headed by two newly appointed sales directors, Darren Jacobs and Dan Sands.

The European retail media market is maturing rapidly, with retailers and brands seeking omnichannel solutions. Ad spend in the UK is predicted to almost double from US$4 billion in 2024, to US$7.91 billion by 2027, according to eMarketer.

Darren Jacobs brings a wealth of experience in sales across multiple markets including the UK, Singapore and Australia, having worked for companies such as Dennis Publishing, Yahoo, iClick, Nugit and Shutterstock. Dan Sands has over a decade of experience in retail, having worked with retailers to create a unified retail media offering at CitrusAds. He has also held leadership positions at Nielsen Brandbank.

"We’ve had a lot of conversations with major players in the UK/EMEA market for the past 6-12 months and see it as mature and innovative with a cast of really great retail media networks. We already have partners and runs on the board in the UK and I believe the growth for our solution, and its ability to scale brand and retail businesses, is compelling," said Zitcha CEO, Troy Townsend. "We’re so excited to already be working with leaders in this space and now welcome the wealth of experience both Darren and Dan bring. Their knowledge will be exceptional in helping set the tone and culture for Zitcha in the UK. Expect more in the near future as we see Europe as a critical region for us."

"Offering the full gamut of omnichannel features, Zitcha helps retailers in a way which no other retail media platform can. From retail media networks, joint business planning into the actual delivery of assets we cover everything across in-store, onsite and offsite," said Sands. "Zitcha can even support retailers with no retail media network who need an expert to guide and consult on best practice. It’s the channel with the most excitement around it right now, and we’ll be here for all European retailers and brands to build on those expectations within the sector."

"Zitcha is genuinely a one-stop-platform for brands and retailers. Retail media provides so much opportunity and is the fastest growing advertising sector. It’s grown rapidly and with Zitcha’s European arrival, that’s only set to act as a further catalyst for maturation as retailers can harness the platform’s power across markets and buy retail media across multiple retail media networks on a single platform," said Jacobs.

Zitcha's platform unifies onsite, offsite and in-store assets and is utilised by retailers and brands across seven countries, including Coles Group (Australia), The Warehouse Group (New Zealand), Peavey Mart (Canada) and Axonet (US). Global brands such as Unilever, Fisher & Paykel and Microsoft also make use of Zitcha's platform.