The network alliance will offer brands and agencies a single route to conduct marketing campaigns across multiple retailers without rebuilding plans and campaign processes.

The alliance will offer access to audiences and advertising inventory across retailers, audience providers and media owners.

It will also mean that retailers can access broader demand and open retail media budgets to publishers through retailer data-based audiences. Dunnhumby will deliver this through a partnership with technology company Kevel. 

The model will connect retail purchase data with publisher reach. Dunnhumby said retailers would maintain control of their own media businesses while benefiting from shared standards for activation, measurement and reporting.

Tesco, B&Q (owned by Kingfisher), John Lewis and Waitrose are currently involved in a series of pilots.

Starting in the summer, the pilots will take place across a variety of categories, with the aim of allowing retailers, brands and agencies to plan, activate and measure marketing investment across multiple retailers and media owners. 

Josh Bottomley, chief executive, Dunnhumby, said: “Brands are demanding scale, consistency and transparency, but fragmentation has held the market back.”

Bottomley said the alliance would “bring the industry together under a shared framework, making it easier for brands to activate, measure and grow through retail media”.

Initially, Dunnhumby will focus on existing retailer audiences and inventory, with the aim of expanding into further opportunities.