Optimo: Superdrug's retail media network, explained

Optimo is a group project, not just a Superdrug one. Paul Stafford, then Superdrug's head of digital marketing and retail media, said the build covered A.S. Watson teams in Hong Kong, Milan, Paris, Amsterdam and London (P2PI, 21 November 2023). By October 2024 Stafford's title was head of retail media Europe, and ChannelX described Optimo as A.S. Watson's offer. Decision Marketing reported in 2023 that Optimo "looks set to include" other A.S. Watson brands (Decision Marketing, 30 October 2023). Which banners use it today is n/d.

The second difference is how much of Superdrug's trade the loyalty card sees. In 2023 more than 60% of total sales went through Health & Beautycard members. A Japanese study of Superdrug in July 2026 said member data is connected to Optimo, so brands can run online ads with Superdrug customer data and check results through to purchase (ITmedia, 28 July 2026). That gives closed-loop measurement a large share of sales to work with.

Third, Superdrug sells health as well as beauty. In 2024 it reported 183 stores with a pharmacy and more than 85 nurse clinics (Retail Times, 8 July 2024). That raises the question of how health-related data is kept out of advertising. The sources we read do not describe Optimo's rules. The pharmacy retail media guide sets out the UK and US limits, and Boots Media Group is the closest UK comparison.

Onsite. Superdrug went live with its first sponsored supplier campaigns on Superdrug.com in November 2023, with Unilever and Beiersdorf first. Stafford described getting the word "sponsored" onto product listings as a "complex task". These are sponsored products in the usual sense.

In-store. In April 2025 Superdrug began rolling out about 500 digital screens to high-footfall stores after pilots at Marble Arch and Brent Cross. Unilever was among the first brands on them (Retail Gazette, 9 April 2025). The screens are part of Superdrug's "Offline plus Online" strategy.

Offsite. ITmedia's 2026 report describes brands running online ads with Superdrug customer data (ITmedia, 28 July 2026). The platforms used are not named.

Health & Beautycard is the base. It ties store, online and app activity to one member ID, with member prices and app-only offers attached (ITmedia, 28 July 2026). In 2023 Superdrug was overhauling the scheme to make it digital-first (Decision Marketing, 30 October 2023). Brands receive targeting and results, not member records.

What the sources do not say is how audiences are built, which categories are excluded and whether pharmacy or Online Doctor data is kept apart. Ask these questions before planning health-adjacent products.

The only description of measurement is ITmedia's: online ads using member data can be checked through to purchase. A 2024 interview named Criteo as Superdrug's technology choice (ChannelX, 28 October 2024), which would put onsite reporting on Criteo's platform; the metrics for Superdrug are not published. We found no independent audit or industry certification for Optimo.

1. Brief the Optimo team. At launch Superdrug said it would work with brands on campaign briefs; no self-serve route was found.
2. Start onsite with sponsored placements on Superdrug.com for your core lines.
3. Add screens for launches in high-footfall stores.
4. Use member audiences offsite if you need reach beyond Superdrug's own channels.
5. Agree the sales read. Ask how Health & Beautycard purchases are matched and which categories are excluded.

It suits:

• beauty, skincare, haircare and personal care brands ranged at Superdrug;
• brands that want UK beauty shoppers with loyalty-linked results;
• suppliers who already work with A.S. Watson in other markets.

It suits less:

• advertisers who want self-serve buying;
• health brands needing clarity on data rules before they buy;
• buyers who require audited measurement.

• Superdrug's own Optimo page, which could not be accessed.
• Whether Optimo is self-serve in any part, and its minimum spend.
• Which A.S. Watson banners use Optimo today.
• The offsite platforms used and the exact role of Criteo.
• Why membership figures fell between the 2023 and 2026 reports.

1. Marketing Beat, "Superdrug to launch 'huge' retail media network" (27 October 2023). https://www.marketing-beat.co.uk/2023/10/27/superdrug-retail-media-network/
2. Decision Marketing, "Superdrug owner targets slice of $128bn retail media" (30 October 2023). https://www.decisionmarketing.co.uk/news/superdrug-owner-targets-slice-of-128bn-retail-media
3. Path to Purchase Institute, "Superdrug Rolls Out First Sponsored Supplier Campaigns" (21 November 2023). https://p2pi.com/superdrug-rolls-out-first-sponsored-supplier-campaigns
4. Superdrug, "Superdrug posts double digit growth, with soaring profits driven by strong retail store sales", results release published by Retail Times (8 July 2024). https://retailtimes.co.uk/superdrug-posts-double-digit-growth-with-soaring-profits-driven-by-strong-retail-store-sales/
5. ChannelX, "Paul Stafford – OptimO Retail Media on Superdrug" (interview, 28 October 2024). https://channelx.world/2024/10/paul-stafford-optimo-retail-media-on-superdrug
6. Retail Gazette, "Superdrug rolls out 500 high-tech digital screens to enhance in-store experience" (9 April 2025). https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2025/04/superdrugdigital-screens/
7. ITmedia Business Online, study of Superdrug's store, e-commerce and CRM strategy, page 3 (in Japanese, 28 July 2026). https://www.itmedia.co.jp/business/spv/2607/28/news006_3.html