Albertsons’ retail media chief exits as the network folds under the CMO
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: Albertsons’ retail media chief Brian Monahan has departed after around 15 months, with the Albertsons Media Collective now folded under the CMO — a sign retail media networks are hitting scale limits.
What happened
Brian Monahan, SVP and head of the Albertsons Media Collective, has left the company; the retail-media business now reports to CMO Emily Turner, with no successor named. Monahan — previously at Dentsu and Pinterest — had joined in July 2025.
The reshuffle lands as agency executives question whether the network has reached the scale it needs, against a backdrop of Albertsons’ digital sales rising 13% in its most recent quarter while identical-store sales slipped 0.8%.
Why this matters for the retail media gold rush
Folding a standalone retail-media business back under the CMO is a warning that the category’s easy-growth phase is maturing. Not every retailer has the audience scale or measurement to sustain a separate, high-growth media arm.
Retail media is still one of advertising’s fastest-expanding channels, but the bar is rising from ‘launch a network’ to ‘prove it delivers measurable incremental sales’.
What brands and agencies should do
Pressure-test which retail networks actually have the reach and measurement to perform, rather than spreading budget thinly across every retailer that opens a media business.
Treat leadership churn and reporting-line changes as a real signal. When a network moves back under the CMO, it often means the growth story has met the scale reality.
Quick FAQ
Who left Albertsons Media Collective?
Brian Monahan, SVP and head of the Albertsons Media Collective, departed after about 15 months. The unit now reports to CMO Emily Turner, with no successor named.
Why is the move significant?
Folding a standalone retail-media network back under the CMO suggests the easy-growth phase of retail media is maturing and that scale and measurement now matter more than launching a network.
What’s the business backdrop?
Albertsons reported digital sales up 13% in its most recent quarter while identical-store sales fell 0.8%, and agency executives have questioned whether the network reached target scale.
Retail media’s land-grab is over and the proof phase has begun. When a network gets folded back under the CMO, read it as a signal: scale and measurement now beat launch announcements. Brands should back the few retail networks that can actually prove incremental sales — and stop funding the rest by default. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The retail media bar has risen from ‘launch a network’ to ‘prove incremental sales’ — fund the networks that can measure, not just the ones that exist.
How do you decide which retail media networks actually earn their share of your budget?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Digiday and Grocery Dive.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
