Retail & Experience

Bridging the Gap Between Brands and Retail 

In a world where retail moves at extreme speed, there’s often a distinct gap between how brands speak in their advertising and how they actually show up in commerce channels. That’s where VCCP Retail & Experience steps in - to make sure your brand not only shows up, but is effective in every environment it lives in. 

We believe creativity is paramount and our team are the masters of it. From immersive activations to beautifully crafted in-store moments, we make sure your brand feels personal, purposeful, and powerful wherever your audience meets it. As experts in retail media and guardians of excellence in all commerce experiences, we turn browsers into buyers and shoppers into loyal fans. Our designers and developers are world-class, creating memorable brand experiences and activations that boost customer engagement and drive lifetime value.

At the heart of it all, a team of passionate specialists with multi-market capabilities, like Steph Thomas, our Head of R&X, Stephen Renou, Head of R&X Strategy, and Darren Groucutt, R&X Creative Director. They’ve shaped standout experiences for the likes of Vodafone, Coca-Cola, Morrisons, Unilever, Nestlé, McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz, and Adidas.

Together, we don’t just connect the dots between brands and retail…we make every touchpoint unforgettable.

Our Approach: Creativity Meets Commerce, Powered by Storytelling

At VCCP Retail & Experience, we believe the most powerful brands don’t just sell, they tell stories. Stories that show up consistently, connect emotionally, and convert meaningfully across every touchpoint.

We challenge the status quo through bold, insight-driven creativity designed to make brands shine in the ever-evolving world of retail, social commerce, and beyond.

  • Insight: We harness the power of a dedicated data team, behavioural science, and integrated media planning to uncover the human, market, and brand truths that unlock growth.

  • Strategy: Our specialist retail & experience strategists collaborate seamlessly across brand, digital, data, social, media, and customer engagement to deliver joined-up thinking that works.

Creative: From brand worlds to retail-ready creative, we deliver integrated campaigns, powered by a production team that ensures efficient asset creation and management at every stage.

What we do

Retail Media

We’re redefining what retail media can be by giving equal importance to creativity, data, and technology to craft smarter, personalised, performance-driven campaigns. From retail media strategies and creative execution, to toolkits and digital experiences, social and Quick Commerce, we deliver solutions that convert. We work with tech leaders, and use tools such as Memory EQ and AI to test effectiveness, turning insight into action and media into measurable impact.

Activation

We blur the lines between brand love and sales uplift through hybrid campaigns that drive short-term action and long-term value. From promotions and sampling to sweepstakes and shopper engagement, everything we do is rooted in retail, channel, and shopper insights, supported by robust data, behavioural science and understanding, and cultural relevance.

Experiential

Once the preserve of premium retailers, we now harness Experiential Selling for mainstream clients to address big retail challenges such as footfall, trade-down and differentiation. For off-line retailers with heavy investment in bricks and mortar, the retail experience provides one of the best opportunities to challenge the rise of online.

Partnerships

Whether it’s gaming and commerce opportunities through licensing, merchandising, or culturally relevant collabs, we help brands break into new audiences and create unexpected connections that drive fame and growth. Every partnership is rooted in strategic foresight, data-backed creativity, and a clear link to brand and business ambition.

Our People

Steph Thomas Head of Retail & Experience

An experienced marketeer and retail specialist, passionate about delivering results. Steph has worked for top agencies including Ogilvy, Leo Burnett & Lowe across European & Middle East markets, for household brands including Vodafone, Coca Cola, Morrisons and Unilever. For a sustained period, Steph oversaw the McDonald’s Retail Experience team, before going on to  head up and evolve Omnicom’s Retail division, working on a number of FMCG and food & beverage brands.

Stephen Renou Head of Retail & Experience Strategy

Stephen has worked with global retailers, personal care, beauty, food, beverage and alcohol brands from Unilever to Coke and AB InBev. He has worked across EMEA and APAC markets delivering impactful and insightful shopper marketing campaigns, retail toolkits, category re-inventions and in-store experiences. He is passionate about understanding shopper behaviour as well as retailer and channel insights that can lead to breakthrough ideas. Having studied psychology, his interests include Behavioural Economics and the psychology of shopper communication.

Darren Groucutt Retail & Experience Creative Director

Creative Director Darren brings over two decades of experience in production, digital, and integrated agencies. He has consistently pushed creative boundaries, delivering groundbreaking campaigns for major brands like DeWalt, Mercedes-Benz, McDonald’s, and adidas. His expertise in various mediums and technologies allows him to craft meaningful experiences, making him a valuable asset in shaping the future of brand engagement and storytelling.

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