…while sister firm IMP bids to keep Pizza Hut business

Sales promotion consultancy IMP is understood to be battling to save its Pizza Hut business, after Burger King awarded its ú23m pan-European through-the-line account to IMP and its parent D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles jointly.

Industry sources say Burger King chose the DMB&B/IMP combination over rivals Saatchi & Saatchi and SP Lintas because of the strength of the below-the-line element in their pitch.

But one of the conditions of DMB&B/IMP winning the work is, apparently, that it must resign its Pizza Hut restaurant chain business, run jointly in the UK by Whitbread and PepsiCo, and believed to be worth around ú500,000 in revenue.

However, IMP president John Farrell, who is understood to have led the DMB&B/ IMP pitch, was reticent about suggestions that IMP played a major part in the win. He would not comment on the Pizza Hut rumours. But it is understood that IMP and Pizza Hut have been involved in crisis talks over the future of the account.