Mustoe scoops 5m Courtaulds

Courtaulds is understood to have appointed Mustoe Merriman Herring & Levy to handle the 5m European launch of its new man-made fibre, Tencel, this autumn.

The chemicals and fibres producer will launch the product across Europe to trade and consumer markets.

The account, which includes brand development, trade and consumer advertising, is estimated to be worth around 4m this year.

Tencel is a new fibre which claims to combine the toughness of denim with the softness of silk, and is likely to be the biggest fibre launch since Lycra in the Eighties.

Courtaulds deputy chief executive, Gordon Campbell, says that the company is preparing an advertising strategy that will “ratchet up public awareness of the Tencel brand name”.

The product is widely used in Australasia, as it is cool to wear in a hot climate. In this country, Tencel clothes are available in Marks & Spencer and Next.

The output of Tencel doubled in the final quarter of 1995 to 45,000 tonnes, and the fibre delivered its first profits last year.

According to the company, existing output is over subscribed and it is to add another 50,000 tonnes next year. However, Courtaulds an-nounced a 13 per cent cut in pre-tax profits in the year to March.