How to benefit by association

Besnier, Bongrain and Fromageries Bel are expected to bid for the cheese interests of Italy’s Yomo dairy group, which include brands such as Pettinicchio di Latina mozzarella, Belgioioso and Monferrina. Yomo intends to focus on its yogurt activities.

Expresso, the Portuguese weekly newspaper, is to launch a new magazine, nica, in June. The title, which is aimed at women and distributed free with Expresso, is designed to compete with existing women’s interest publications.

Olympic Spirit, an ‘experience centre’ in Munich with the Olympic Games as its theme, has appointed Grey Connect to handle a print and radio launch campaign. The centre will open at the end of this month.

Champion, the Spanish supermarket chain owned by Promodés, is to offer its brand to independent outlets and smaller chains as a franchise, once rebranding of its 62 recently acquired Simago stores has been completed.

Fiat is to celebrate its centenary with a new badge design across its entire car range. The new, rounded design will replace the current blue blocks, first introduced in 1968.

Eric Giuily, currently managing director of BBDO France, has been elected chairman of the press agency, Agence France Presse (AFP). Giuily, 47, has extensive experience outside advertising, including spells in charge of UAP Insurance and Antenne 2.

Scholz & Friends’ Hamburg agency has resigned the DM20m (6.5m) Plus account after the client, a discount retail chain, asked the agency to add below-the-line responsibilities to its brief. Scholz already handles conflicting business for Tchibo.

Unilever is to extend its interactive marketing activities with the opening of Interactive Brand Centres in the Netherlands and Singapore. The company already has one such unit in New York.

The future of Europe’s advertising agency associations is under debate. Many are taking initiatives on behalf of their members to prove their effectiveness in a changing world, says John Shannon