AD Retail Media: Ahold Delhaize USA's retail media network and its Edge platform

Ahold Delhaize USA tried renting before it built. Bobby Watts, who leads AD Retail Media, said its onsite ads had run on Criteo, then Quotient, then Epsilon's CitrusAd (The Shelby Report, 2 January 2026). Edge replaces them with a platform developed by its own engineers. It reuses technology already running at several of the group's European brands. Watts gave two reasons: control of the roadmap, and keeping shopper data inside the company's own environment amid privacy concerns (P2PI, 6 October 2025). Our build-versus-buy guide sets out the costs of each path.

The second difference is a grocery-only ranking model. Edge ranks ads using shopper data such as how often people buy a product, on the theory that grocery baskets behave differently from general retail. Watts argues relevance drives conversion: "You can buy ads anywhere," he said, but an ad that converts better is "a compelling argument". This is a design claim that independent measurement has not yet tested.

Third, AD Retail Media is moving cautiously in stores and loudly on verification. Screens were tested in 15 stores across all five banners, and Watts said "we're not turning our stores into Times Square". Meanwhile, DoubleVerify was due to start checking Edge's numbers in 2026, and the company said it would seek accreditation from the Media Rating Council.

Onsite. Edge serves sponsored product ads and display banners on the banners' websites and apps. The platform uses purchase data to rank responsive product ads and to target display.

In-store. A proof-of-concept placed screens at entrances, aisle ends, pharmacies and fresh departments in 15 stores. Spots ran 5 to 10 seconds inside 30- to 60-second loops, and could carry QR codes for digital coupons (The Shelby Report, 2 January 2026). Ahold Delhaize USA has not published a rollout beyond the pilot.

Offsite and fuel. A planned "One Stop Ad Shop" would add offsite advertising and fuel media to Edge later in 2026, with AI tools for planning and buying (The Shelby Report). We could not confirm that it has launched.

Edge connects to the loyalty programs of Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Giant Food, The GIANT Company and Hannaford, and to Ahold Delhaize USA's own e-commerce platform. A brand that wants Food Lion shoppers buys AD Retail Media and targets that banner within it. Epsilon supplies AI-based propensity modelling. In 2022 the company also named LiveRamp Safe Haven as its data collaboration tool (P2PI, 27 October 2022). We could not confirm whether that clean room is still in use.

Edge shows onsite and offsite ad purchases in one place, so a brand can compare display and sponsored ads side by side. Since 2022 the network has promised one dashboard for results spanning transactions on its own sites and across the web (P2PI, 27 October 2022). It has not published its attribution window or whether store sales count. Third-party verification by DoubleVerify was scheduled for 2026. Watts framed it as proof beyond "us saying 'this is the impression'".

One operational note for 2026 buyers: a cybersecurity incident in October 2026 forced Ahold Delhaize to take some systems offline, mainly affecting online capabilities in the US and Benelux. The company said most disruption was contained within two weeks (Ahold Delhaize, 4 November 2026). Ask how affected onsite campaigns were credited.

1. Contact AD Retail Media through adretailmedia.com or your Ahold Delhaize USA category team.
2. Pick banners and categories. Decide which of the five banners matter for your distribution.
3. Start with sponsored products on the banner sites, then add onsite display.
4. Ask about store screens and fuel media, which were in pilot or planned in 2026.
5. Agree verification and measurement. Confirm whether DoubleVerify is live for your placements and how loyalty-linked sales are reported.

It suits:

• brands with distribution across East Coast grocery banners;
• advertisers who value a retailer-owned platform with third-party verification;
• CPG brands with frequent-purchase products, which Edge's ranking is built around.

It suits less:

• brands that need national grocery reach from one network;
• buyers who want mature store-screen inventory now;
• teams that require accredited metrics today rather than planned ones.

• That Edge went live on 5 January 2026 as scheduled.
• Whether the "One Stop Ad Shop", fuel media and DoubleVerify launched in 2026.
• The scope of self-serve buying in Edge.
• Whether LiveRamp Safe Haven remains in use.
• Revenue, rate card and minimum spend.

1. Ahold Delhaize, "Ahold Delhaize USA introduces Edge, a new proprietary retail media ad platform built for grocery retail" (13 October 2025). https://newsroom.aholddelhaize.com/ahold-delhaize-usa-introduces-edge-a-new-proprietary-retail-media-ad-platform-built-for-grocery-retail/
2. Ahold Delhaize, "Ahold Delhaize reports resilient Q3 2026 results and updates 2026 guidance to reflect business disruption caused by recent cybersecurity incident" (4 November 2026). https://newsroom.aholddelhaize.com/ahold-delhaize-reports-resilient-q3-2026-results-and-updates-2026-guidance-to-reflect-business-disruption-caused-by-recent-cybersecurity-incident/
3. Path to Purchase Institute, "Why Ahold Delhaize USA Is Going In-House for Its Retail Media Edge" (6 October 2025). https://p2pi.com/why-ahold-delhaize-usa-going-house-its-retail-media-edge
4. The Shelby Report, "ADUSA Launches Edge Retail Media Platform With In-store Digital Screens" (2 January 2026). https://theshelbyreport.com/2026/01/02/adusa-launches-edge-retail-media-platform-with-in-store-digital-screens/
5. Path to Purchase Institute, "Ahold Delhaize USA Brings Retail Media In-House" (27 October 2022). https://p2pi.com/ahold-delhaize-usa-brings-retail-media-house
6. Supermarket News, "Peapod Digital Labs brings media network for Ahold Delhaize USA Brands in-house" (19 October 2022). https://www.supermarketnews.com/cpg/peapod-digital-labs-brings-media-network-for-ahold-delhaize-usa-brands-in-house