Spar Taps Footprints AI to Unify Retail Media Across 13,500 Stores
2026-10-21 · via invidis
Spar International is rolling out retail media software from Footprints AI to let advertisers plan, book and evaluate campaigns across more than 13,500 of the retailer's locations in 50 regions. For anyone running in-store screens at a Spar banner, this means a new layer sitting on top of existing channels rather than a new network to install.
Footprints AI, a Romanian adtech company, is not building its own screens or hardware. Instead its software connects to channels Spar retailers already operate: in-store displays, in-store radio, online stores, apps and point-of-sale data. The company says it is already active in more than 10,000 stores across Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia, so this is an expansion of an existing footprint rather than a first deployment.
Each Spar national organization keeps control of its own data and ad inventory under the deal, according to the announcement. That matters because Spar operates as a federation of independent national businesses rather than one centrally run chain, so a tool that aggregates without requiring anyone to hand over control of their screens or data is a different model than a single managed network.
It also sits alongside, rather than replaces, other retail media infrastructure already in motion at Spar. Zetadisplay is currently building a dedicated retail media network with hundreds of displays for Central European Spar stores. The announcement does not explain how the Footprints AI platform and the Zetadisplay network will interact, or whether Zetadisplay's screens will be among the channels Footprints AI aggregates.
Predictive targeting claims
The core pitch from Footprints AI is predictive audience targeting: software that forecasts what shoppers are likely to buy in the next one, seven and 30 days by combining in-store shopper behavior, screen and radio delivery data, POS transactions and app activity in real time. The company says these predictions are 98 percent accurate, a figure it attributes to its own analysis of benchmarks from more than 7,000 campaigns for brands including Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Heineken. That is a vendor-generated claim based on the company's own campaign data, not an independent audit, and the announcement gives no detail on methodology.
For Spar's national organizations, the stated goal is straightforward: use the consolidated, data-driven platform to grow advertising revenue by making it easier for brands and agencies to book campaigns across multiple channels and markets at once. CEO Dan Marc frames the shift as retail media moving away from isolated single-retailer networks toward a marketplace model that can scale.
What the announcement does not say is pricing, a rollout timeline for the 13,500 stores, or which specific markets go live first. It also does not address how measurement and reporting will be standardized across the very different in-store screen and radio setups that exist across Spar's 50 regions.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from invidis for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
European food retailer Spar wants to plan, book, and run retail media campaigns across all channels. For this, it is partnering with Footprints AI, whose software predicts purchasing behavior.
The Romanian adtech provider Footprints AI is equipping Spar International with its retail media software. The new system consolidates channels across more than 13,500 of the retailer’s locations in 50 regions. This enables advertisers to centrally plan, book, and evaluate their campaigns in Spar stores.
Footprints AI is not building its own network for this purpose. The software accesses existing channels operated by Spar retailers, which include in-store screens, in-store radio, online stores, apps, and point-of-sale data. According to the company, Footsprints AI is already active in more than 10,000 stores across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Latin America and Southeast Asia.
With this launch, each Spar national organization retains control over data and advertising space. For Central European Spar stores, Zetadisplay is currently building a retail media network with hundreds of displays.
“Retail media has reached a point where brands and agencies no longer need an isolated network. They need a marketplace that can scale results,” says Dan Marc, CEO of Footprints AI.
The Footprints software supports planning with its predictive audience targeting. It predicts what customers are most likely to buy in the next one, seven, and 30 days and uses this data to build target audiences and optimize campaigns.
To do this, Footprints AI combines various data points in real time. These include shopper behavior in-store, screen and radio ad delivery data, POS transactions, and app behavior.
According to the company, the forecasts it generates are 98 percent accurate. To arrive at this figure, the software provider analyzed its own benchmarks from more than 7,000 campaigns for global brands – including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Heineken. These features are now also intended to help Spar’s national organizations increase their advertising revenue.