What Premium Retail Services does

Premium Retail Services is a U.S.-headquartered retail execution services provider founded in 1985 by Ron Travers and now operating as an agency within Acosta Group following a November 2021 acquisition. The company deploys a distributed field workforce across the United States (5,001–10,000 total employees) and Canada (1,200+ FTEs across 10 provinces) to deliver merchandising, assisted sales, training, and field marketing programs on behalf of consumer brands at major retailers including Walmart, Best Buy, Kroger, Walgreens, Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Staples. Premium holds one of five Walmart Preferred Service Provider designations, with 2,500+ dedicated reps covering 100% of Walmart stores and supporting 275+ suppliers, and is a 20+ year Best Buy preferred provider and exclusive Canadian partner.

The company's core technology stack centers on Premium 360 for field execution reporting and service order management, Premium BI for business intelligence dashboards, and Greenlight for AI-assisted real-time photo validation (9 million photos reviewed annually). Add-on modules include Premium Max (predictive analytics on Walmart RetailLink data) and the Launchpad product-launch protocol. Digital channels include Premium On Demand (live video consultations on e-commerce sites, launched June 2020) and Online Brand Champions for Amazon Live and review management. A 130,000+ sq ft National Logistics & Distribution Center in St. Louis handles kitting, shipping, and fulfillment for product launches, supported by a 70+ person Operations Support Center.

Premium generates revenue primarily through contracted managed-services and professional-services agreements with consumer brands and retailers, priced on scope, store coverage, and program complexity (no public pricing). Brian and Kevin Travers, the founder's sons, serve as co-presidents following the Acosta Group acquisition, retaining leadership continuity. The company has earned multiple Great Place to Work certifications in Canada and two Samsung Global Best Practice Awards, and operates as one of five pillar agencies within Acosta Group's portfolio.

Name

Premium Retail Services

Legal name

Premium Retail Services

Website

http://premiumretail.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Premium Retail Services is a North American retail execution services firm that deploys field reps, proprietary technology (Premium 360, BI, Greenlight, Max), and logistics support to deliver merchandising, sales, and training programs for consumer brands at Walmart, Best Buy, and other major retailers, operating as an agency within Acosta Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Execution and Field Marketing Services

NAICS

Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail & Consumer Services Direct Hire (BPACAFAM)

Keywords

• Retail merchandising services
• Field sales execution
• In-store brand activation
• Retail analytics platform
• Product launch deployment

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesterfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Managed Retail Services: Comprehensive retail execution services including field sales, merchandising, training, and brand advocacy. Revenue generated through contracted service agreements with consumer brands seeking retail presence at major retailers. Pricing based on coverage scope, number of stores, and service complexity.
2. Product Launch Services: Specialized rapid-deployment services for new product launches. Premium receives and kits devices/materials, ships to field reps, and coordinates execution across retail locations within tight timelines (48-96 hours).
3. Business Intelligence & Analytics: Data analytics, reporting, and dashboard services delivered through Premium BI platform. Provides interactive mapping, compliance dashboards, and custom analytics for program optimization.
4. Field Auditing & Compliance Reporting: Retail execution auditing services including out-of-stock monitoring, display compliance tracking, and inventory audits. Delivers dashboards for multi-retailer inventory visibility.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Premium Retail Services provides outsourced retail execution services to consumer brands, deploying thousands of field representatives across the U.S. and Canada to perform merchandising, assisted sales, product training, and brand advocacy at major retailers (Walmart, Best Buy, Kroger, Costco, etc.). The company operates a 130,000+ sq ft National Logistics & Distribution Center for kitting and fulfillment, and supports service delivery through proprietary technology platforms including Premium 360 (field execution), Premium BI (dashboards), Premium Max (predictive analytics for Walmart), and Greenlight (AI-powered real-time photo validation).

Product overview

Premium Retail Services operates as a 3PL provider offering an integrated suite of retail execution services across North America. The core offering includes field merchandising, assisted sales, and brand advocacy services supported by proprietary technology platforms: Premium 360 (field execution reporting), Premium BI (business intelligence dashboards), and Greenlight (photo validation). Add-on analytical modules include Premium Max for predictive analytics and Launchpad for product launch coordination. Digital capabilities include Premium On Demand (live video consultations) and Online Brand Champions for e-commerce engagement. The company also operates a National Logistics and Distribution Center in St. Louis and employs a live Operations Support Center for real-time field support. Premium Canada operates as a subsidiary covering 10 provinces with 1,200+ employees since 2014.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Premium BI Cloud-based business intelligence platform delivering interactive, customizable dashboards providing real-time visibility into retail execution results; combines multiple data sources to surface insights on merchandising, sales, and operational metrics for consumer brand clients.
• Greenlight Real-time photo validation service combining AI-assisted review with expert human review, enabling field reps to receive immediate feedback on planogram compliance, price accuracy, and display integrity while still in-store; examines ~9 million photos annually.
• Premium Max Predictive analytics platform exclusively for Walmart suppliers that uses custom algorithms to mine real-time Walmart RetailLink data, identifying phantom inventory issues and optimizing product deliveries and sales forecasting at the store-item level.
• Premium On Demand Live video consultation platform connecting online shoppers with certified product experts via click-to-chat or QR code scanning, integrated into e-commerce retail websites to deliver personalized product recommendations pre- and post-sale.
• Launchpad Product launch protocol combining rigid store mapping, kitting, and shipping with robust training, communication, and real-time data visualization supported by Operations Support Specialists for rapid large-scale field execution (e.g., 1,400+ reps in 2,230 stores within 48 hours).
• Online Brand Champions Online review management and consumer engagement service in which trained brand advocates answer product questions, respond to reviews, and provide personalized shopping experiences across e-commerce platforms such as Amazon Live.
• Premium 360 Field execution reporting platform enabling service order management, store-level execution tracking, photo uploads, parts ordering, and compliance monitoring for merchandising and product launch programs at retail.
• STARS Program Selling, Training, And Relationship Specialists program deploying dedicated retail reps who fulfill merchandising needs, train retail associates, and sell products directly to shoppers at retail locations (e.g., 70 dedicated STARS at Lenovo covering hundreds of North American stores since 2013).
• Sales + Training Assisted sales and product demonstration services combined with training programs including live streaming, omnichannel training, and the University of Premium professional development program.
• Digital + Creative Creative production services including broadcast-quality video production, digital retail strategy, and creative execution to maintain brand consistency across retailer websites and product detail pages.
• Merchandising In-store merchandising services including display installation, product stocking, signage resets, and technical installations across consumer electronics, smart home, security, computing, and cellular categories.
• Logistics + Fulfillment (NLDC) National Logistics and Distribution Center services based in St. Louis providing kitting, shipping, and asset management for in-store marketing materials, promotional displays, and replacement parts in support of retail execution programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• +29% sales lift in stores with dedicated STARS vs stores without
• +18 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Acosta GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Premium joined the Acosta family in November 2021 as an acquisition by Acosta. In 2023, Acosta rebranded to Acosta Group, unifying agencies including Acosta, CORE, Mosaic, Premium, and ActionLink under one collective. Premium operates as a distinct agency within the group while benefiting from shared capabilities and resources. Brian Travers and Kevin Travers serve as co-presidents of Premium.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ActionLink: ActionLink is a sister agency within Acosta Group that provides retail sales and merchandising solutions. While both operate under the same parent, ActionLink's portfolio of programs and client overlap makes it the closest internal peer to Premium.
• Mosaic North America: Mosaic is a sister agency within Acosta Group focused on experiential and shopper marketing. While less directly competing on field merchandising, Mosaic's shopper activation services overlap with Premium's brand advocacy and in-store experience programs.
• Acosta: Acosta (now operating as part of Acosta Group) is the flagship sales and marketing services agency and the parent of Premium Retail Services. Its broader portfolio of sales, marketing, and retail services overlaps significantly with Premium's offerings.

Direct peers

• SAS Retail Services: SAS Retail Services delivers merchandising, resets, and retail execution services to retailers and CPG manufacturers. It competes directly with Premium for in-store merchandising programs across grocery, drug, mass, and club channels.
• 2020 Companies: 2020 Companies offers retail merchandising, assisted sales, and brand advocacy services across consumer electronics, mobile, and home improvement retail. It overlaps directly with Premium's Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowe’s programs.
• BDS Marketing: BDS Marketing provides retail merchandising, assisted sales, and training services to consumer electronics and wireless brands at retail. It is a frequent competitor for tech retail programs that are also core to Premium’s Lenovo, Samsung, and Verizon engagements.
• The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC): T-ROC provides retail merchandising, sales, and customer experience solutions through a distributed field workforce. It competes directly with Premium for consumer electronics, mobile, and big-box retail programs.
• Advantage Solutions: Advantage Solutions is one of the largest direct competitors in retail execution, merchandising, and sales services in North America. It offers a comparable suite of in-store services, including merchandising, assisted sales, and brand marketing, often competing head-to-head with Premium for retailer and brand contracts.
• CROSSMARK: CROSSMARK provides retail merchandising, in-store execution, and integrated marketing services to consumer brands and retailers. It is a direct competitor for Premium's core field execution contracts and operates at similar scale across North America.
• Spar Group: Spar Group is a global provider of merchandising, retail services, and store transformation solutions. It directly competes with Premium on CPG merchandising, resets, and store-level execution across North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PremiumRetail1
• Facebookfacebook.com/premiumretailservices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/premium-retail-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/premiumretailservices
• Xx.com/premiumretail

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Premium Retail Services