Grocery TV has appointed Neil Murphy as SVP of retail partnerships, Steve Sapp as SVP of media partnerships and Chris Lee as chief technology officer, the New York-based in-store retail media platform announced Jan. 28.
The leadership hires arrive as Grocery TV has grown its retailer-owned network 33 percent over the past year, to more than 6,500 stores across 120-plus retail partners.
“We’ve built the foundation that makes in-store retail media work at scale, and now, we’re ready to accelerate,” said Marlow Nickell, founder and CEO of Grocery TV.
“Neil, Steve and Chris bring the expertise to help Grocery TV lead the growth of the in-store media category, turning what was once experimental into a proven, high-performance channel for retailers and advertisers.”
Retail partnership expansion
Murphy joins Grocery TV with more than 20 years of experience launching and scaling retail media platforms, including Walmart Connect and Criteo’s retail media solution. He will lead retailer expansion and network rollout strategies.
“Retailers are ready to move fast on in-store media, but they need a partner who can navigate the complexity of execution,” Murphy said. “Grocery TV has already figured out the hard parts. We’re helping retailers launch proven networks in months, not years, so they can move quickly without compromising quality.”
National media integration
Sapp brings 25-plus years of media sales and marketing experience, with leadership roles at Volta Charging, National CineMedia and GSTV. He will help brands and agencies maximize their in-store media investments across Grocery TV’s expanding retailer-owned network.
“National media buyers are looking for authentic ways to connect with shoppers as attention continues to fragment across channels, and Grocery TV delivers at the moment of decision,” Sapp said.
“As more CPG and even non-endemic categories like telecom and financial services lean in, we’re helping them turn that opportunity into measurable results.”
Adding in-store retail media to a broader media mix can increase campaign reach by an average of 49 percent, delivering incremental audiences alongside channels like TV, digital, CTV, audio and social, according to the company.
Technology leadership
Lee will oversee Grocery TV’s engineering, product, hardware and data teams. He previously co-founded and served as CTO at Kronologic and spent more than a decade at Rapid7, helping prototype and launch enterprise-grade products during the company’s growth and IPO. Most recently, he led technology initiatives at PorchPass.
“In-store retail media requires technology that works seamlessly across hardware and software,” Lee said.
“At Grocery TV, that means managing screens in thousands of stores nationwide while ensuring the software powering those networks delivers reliable, measurable results for our partners. We’re building on a strong technical foundation to scale the network while improving performance, consistency and impact as it grows.”
Grocery TV reaches one in four U.S. consumers across 6,500-plus stores, connecting brands with shoppers at the moment of decision, where 90 percent of purchases take place.
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