Draft Direct UK operation faces the axe

The future of the UK office of Draft Direct Worldwide is in serious doubt. The agency has lost most of its clients and its US parent has started a review of its operations.

Draft Direct Worldwide president Dan Ginsburg says: “I am not happy with the situation in the UK. In every other country in which we operate we are a top five agency.”

In the UK, Draft has lost a raft of high-profile clients such as British Petroleum, British Airways, Habitat and Intel. Its only major client now is the YMCA.

Draft managing director Annette Donnelly has already quit. She is joining Grey Integrated as new business director next month.

Ginsburg says options for Draft UK include buying another agency and merging the two or recruiting more staff.

But a source close to the agency says the office will be shut and sister Interpublic operation Lowe Direct will act as Draft’s UK arm. Draft Direct already works for Lowe Direct client SCI – which runs funeral finance plans – in France.

Draft Direct client services director Linda Jackson refuses to comment.