BhS review signals end for ad star

BhS is reviewing the “It’s a Happening” advertising campaign launched through HHCL & Partners last August, and is likely to drop link personality Sylvester from a number of its TV advertisements.

The Storehouse subsidiary’s marketing director Helena Packshaw will not confirm whether Sylvester will continue to front the ads. But she says: “We may drop him.”

It is thought BhS will return to television this summer. The chain launched its £13m rebranding campaign last summer with a wave of “It’s a Happening at BhS” ads. These were set to be repeated after Christmas but the second burst did not materialise.

However, Packshaw insists the campaign has been successful. “The results have matched our expectations,” he says.

The advertising campaign is part of a move to revamp BhS’s dowdy image. Initial results are encouraging, with BhS bringing in like-for-like sales up more than five per cent in the six weeks to Christmas.