Albertsons just put retail media under merchandising. If you sell into retail, t
By Rosehamilton · October 16, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Albertsons just put retail media under merchandising.
If you sell into retail, that is not an org-chart story. It changes the conversation.
The CMO now oversees media, marketing and the merchants in one organization. The people deciding your facings and the people selling you ads report to the same desk.
I spent years on the retail side, and one of the mistakes I still see brands make is treating the shelf, trade spend and retail media as three separate negotiations.
They are becoming one.
The retailer is looking at the whole productivity equation:
What space are you asking for?
What sales are you generating from it?
What are you investing to create demand for that space?
If I were preparing for a line review today, I'd want three numbers on the same page:
1. Sales per store.
2. Margin contribution.
3. Retail media productivity.
Not three decks from three teams.
One commercial story.
Because if the shelf needs more support than the economics can carry, more doors won't fix it.