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Reckitt: Protecting, Healing & Nurturing Through Purpose-Led Growth
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Reckitt: Protecting, Healing & Nurturing Through Purpose-Led Growth
Walk into a supermarket, pharmacy, or neighbourhood store anywhere in the world and you’ll find Reckitt— the powerhouse behind beloved everyday brands like Dettol, Lysol, Durex, Nurofen, Mucinex, Harpic, Vanish, and Finish.
What started as a heritage-driven customer company has today grown to become an international leader in wellness, hygiene, and food.
In 2024, the company reported a net revenue of £14.81 billion, driven by strong expenditure in brand visibility, Performance marketing, and a refined international inventory range.
The company, which operates in key regions such as North America, Europe, ANZ, and emerging markets, employs approximately 38,000 people. Its products serve billions of people every year — protecting families, promoting healthier lifestyles, and influencing behaviour change at scale.
Under the leadership of Kris Licht, CEO, Reckitt is simplifying its business and accelerating commercial performance through brand renovation, digital transformation, and strengthened category focus.
Innovation: Consumer Need at the Centre
Innovation at Reckitt is guided by a simple principle: purpose-driven products that elevate consumer well-being. From developing superior hygiene solutions to science-led healthcare formulations, innovation is both functional and emotional.
The company leverages outcome-based research and behavioural insights to shape new product experiences and consumer habit formation. Whether it is improving formulations to fight future pathogens or designing packaging that reduces environmental impact, innovation is deeply tied to relevance, safety, and sustainability.
Marketing & Branding: Purpose, People, and Cultural Relevance
Reckitt’s brands are built around culture and everyday habits — hygiene, sexual wellness, pain management, and nutrition — categories with inherent emotional and societal meaning.
The company’s marketing playbook champions storytelling that inspires healthier choices.
Reckitt’s portfolio fosters purpose and trust, from Durex’s dedication to sexual health to Dettol’s historic commitment to hygiene education.
Ryan Dullea, Chief Marketing Officer, is in charge of the marketing strategy and drives worldwide category growth by:
- Insight-led cultural positioning
- Consistent brand purpose execution
- Local relevance at scale
- Digital-first engagement
- Multi-platform messaging
Campaigns such as Nurofen’s “See My Pain” brought visibility to inequalities in chronic pain diagnosis, while Dettol’s “Clean Naija” initiative built awareness around safe hygiene in underserved regions.
In retail, the company collaborates with leading partners, such as Tesco in the UK, to create better in-store experiences, enhancing access to and education about wellness choices.
The company expands its reach through a multi-layered marketing approach that incorporates mass media, influencer collaborations, local events, and product information.
The company doesn’t just sell; they promote behaviour change and category leadership.
Digital and Technology: The Power Behind the Customer Experience
Digital innovation is the core of Reckitt’s long-term strategy. The business continually updated its data architecture, streamlined operations, and integrated analytics to enhance decision-making and accelerate time to market.
To facilitate quicker transformation, technology leadership is now integrated into larger operations and reporting through the CFO organisation. Supply chain digitisation, e-commerce growth, real-time data visibility, digital customer engagement, and AI-powered planning and projections are the main topics of this upcoming chapter.
The goal of Reckitt’s technological transformation is to make the company more data-driven and responsive to its customers. Intelligent forecasting and integrated analytics are examples of tools that help predict category changes, improve demand planning, and optimise inventory across international networks.
E-commerce has become one of the fastest-growing channels, supported by strong omnichannel partnerships and consumer-experience platforms that help brands stay connected at all times.
A Brand’s Perspective
Reckitt is a rare combination of legacy equity and future-ready intent. While its products are woven into daily routines, its storytelling connects to values, culture, and community.
The company continues strengthening its category leadership by:
- Prioritising brand investment
- Elevating product superiority
- Localising global platforms
- Accelerating digital maturity
With purpose at the core and marketing at the forefront, Reckitt isn’t just building brands- it is shaping healthier societies. Its narrative remains clear:
When brands drive behaviour change, they create real impact — on people, communities, and the world.
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Keith Nicks is EVP and Chief Digital & Commercial Officer for Ahold Delhaize USA, overseeing
omnichannel marketing, retail media, and e-commerce for U.S. brands. Tim Bork is the Chief Commercial
Officer for Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia, focusing on local brands and responsible for growth,
including marketing and customer experience.
With nearly €96 billion in projected 2025 revenue, Ahold Delhaize ranks among the top 10 global
retailers, operating over 6,700 stores across multiple formats, including Albert Heijn, Delhaize, Food Lion,
Giant, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop.
6,700 stores powered by one procurement platform – a scale that makes others jealous.
For customers, Ahold isn’t just a grocery retailer; it’s a trusted lifestyle partner that combines the
intimacy of local shopping with the innovation and value of global retail leadership.
Ahold’s brands, such as Albert Heijn, Stop & Shop, and Giant, represent 37 years of average customer
relationships—customers don’t just shop there; they grow up with these brands, creating emotional
connections that transcend transactions.
After gaining thirty million loyalty members, Ahold demonstrated that personalization consistently
outperforms promotion.
BrandSensitize™ research shows that Ahold Delhaize operates with a decentralized marketing and brand
building approach, where marketing functions are embedded within:
- Brand-specific leadership (each local brand has its own marketing teams.
- Regional commercial officers who oversee marketing alongside broader commercial
responsibilities. - Digital and omnichannel specialists who handle modern marketing channels.
Ahold Delhaize’s Brand Building Initiatives:
Sustainability campaign: €50M investment reached 10M consumers, delivering a 20% boost in
sustainable product sales and generating €400M in revenue.
Digital Marketing: €150M digital budget achieved 25% higher engagement, 2.6% click-through rates (vs
1.9% industry standard), and built 500K+ social media following.
Loyalty Program: 30M members across brands with 85% customer penetration, driving 75% of total sales
and contributing €1B annually—10% better retention than competitors.
Strategic Brand Partnerships: 100+ collaborative campaigns with CPG brands, including Coca-Cola,
generated €600M in additional revenue through joint promotions.
Omnichannel Investment: A $1 billion price investment initiative, combined with AI-powered
personalization, aims to achieve an 80% loyalty sales penetration by 2028.
Strategic marketing drives measurable business results—from sustainability messaging to digital-first
loyalty programs, Ahold Delhaize demonstrates that well-executed brand-building campaigns deliver
both customer engagement and bottom-line growth on a global scale.
Ahold Delhaize’s Strategic Technology Partnerships:
- W23 Global VC Fund: $125M investment with Tesco, Woolworths & others backing AI startups
like Harmonya & Protex AI - Zycus Partnership: Source-to-Pay suite powering procurement across 6,700+ stores globally
- Hanshow Technology: Electronic shelf labels + innovation labs across all European locations.
- Inmar Intelligence: $141M in customer savings delivered through personalized digital coupons.
- DoorDash Collaboration: Tripled order volumes through enhanced last-mile delivery integration.
- Internal AI Innovation: MaxiGPT, LionGPT & Albot assistants deployed across the Serbian,
Belgian, and Czech markets. - New Tech Studio: AD/01 in Bucharest targeting 250+ tech talents for digital acceleration.
Zycus has licensed its comprehensive Source-to-Pay suite to Ahold Delhaize, including eSourcing,
Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), and Supplier Management platforms.
TCS’s relationship with Ahold Delhaize marks a mature, strategic partnership focused on digital
transformation and supply chain technology.
Wipro partnered with Capgemini as one of the most significant retail transformation initiatives in the
world at Ahold USA.
Capgemini powers Ahold Delhaize’s end-to-end transformation, developing blockchain technology use
cases for Ahold Delhaize’s supply chain and leveraging its expertise in business transformation, as well as
its understanding of Ahold’s industry and operations.
Traditional retailers, equipped with AI and Robotics, will surpass pure digital players by 2030.
The key is to position Ahold not as just another retail success story, but as the company that has
rewritten the rules of digital transformation for every traditional business watching.
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