Indy appoints LH-S to 3m ad business

Independent Newspapers UK is understood to have appointed Lowe Howard-Spink to handle the 3m creative account for The Independent and The Independent on Sunday.

The business, which was previously with M&C Saatchi, was put out to pitch after Tony O’Reilly’s Independent Newspapers of Ireland took control of the titles in March.

Three agencies pitched, LH-S, Arc and Griffin Bacal, part of the DDB network. Independent Newspapers declined to comment, but sources close to the pitch indicate that LH-S’s bid has been successful.

The agency must develop a strategy to lift circulation. Brendan Hopkins, managing director of Independent Newspapers UK, says the target for The Indy over three years is 250,000 and 300,000 for the IoS. In February, they had circulations of 216,000 and 247,000 respectively.