The bizarre sight of traumatised Kosovan refugees sporting the latest high street fashions can be witnessed in refugee camps in Macedonia and Albania. This is thanks to at least a hundred UK companies which have responded to their plight, donating clothing, food, hygiene products, books and toys with a trade value of more than 500,000. […]
Malcolm MacAulay, head of non-food retail operations and advertising for Co-operative Retail Services (CRS), is one of nearly 3,000 Co-op employees facing redundancy following the sale of the company’s non-food division. J Walter Thompson Manchester, the agency which handles the CRS non-food account, worth 3.1m last year, will lose the business following the overhaul. The […]
The expected wave of mergers among retailers, sparked by the proposed link between Asda and Kingfisher, could pit UK store groups against their larger rivals around the world. According to consultancy Gemini, not one UK retailer ranks in the world’s top ten store groups, and some observers say that the British baulk at the thought […]
Manchester United Football Club has struck a deal with sports retailer Allsports to take the club’s brand into high street stores. The Premier League club has one dedicated franchised store at Dublin Airport and a club shop at its Old Trafford home ground. It will open “shop-in-shop” concessions in three Allsports’ stores from August and […]
Rupert Murdoch has fought off an attempt by Microsoft to poach BSkyB chief executive Mark Booth but has had to set up a new media company to keep his valued executive. Booth is expected to leave the company in the next six weeks to become chief executive of start-up business e-partners, which will explore opportunities […]
Safeway has adapted its loyalty card scheme to allow customers to donate their shopping points to help buy food for Kosovan refugees. Safeway says it has been inundated with requests from shoppers keen to donate the points gained on their ABC loyalty cards. One point is earned for every 1 spent. More than 13 million […]
If the idea of a visit to your dentist conjures up the sadistic Steve Martin character in “Little Shop of Horrors”, fear no more for help is at hand. Dentist Dr Tony Lees has designed Dentanurse, a first-aid kit for your teeth. Contents of the emergency treatment pack can be used to refix dislodged crowns, […]
Baxters of Speyside, the quality soup manufacturer, is to launch a range of organic food. A spokeswoman for the Scottish company says: “We are launching seven products including soups, conserves and possibly beetroot.” Baxters will target only major multiples initially because of difficulties in securing a continuous supply of organic ingredients. The company repositioned its […]
UDV is spending 12.5m on a new campaign for Gordon’s Gin that attempts to straddle both the young-adult and middle-aged markets. The campaign includes a TV and cinema ad aimed at recruiting drinkers aged 25 to 34. This is being supported by a sponsorship programme targeted at Gordon’s core drinkers – wealthy people over 45. […]
Unilever-owned Calvin Klein Cosmetics has poached Optimedia director Gary Bridge to manage its European advertising operations. Bridge takes up the new position of European media director at Calvin Klein Cosmetics after four years as Optimedia’s group media director, working on the British Airways global account. He will be responsible for advertising and will be the […]
The UK National Lottery is now the world’s biggest lottery in terms of gross revenue, with an annual turnover of more than 5bn. It has continued overall growth – weekly National Lottery sales are now over 100m, compared with 52m during its initial launch phase in 1994. But not everything is rosy in Camelot, according […]
Bates Dorland’s attempt to reinvent itself as an “integrated communications agency” has been a costly exercise so far, and the move is still only one week old. It has led to the resignation of two top executives from the advertising agency, and others are understood to have deep reservations about the strategy being pursued by […]
If you work at an advertising agency, this is your chance to bask in glory in front of your peers, win hours of praise from your clients, and glimpse exotic views of, er, the Isle of Wight. The Inter Agency Yacht Race takes place on May 27 and 28 and there’s still time to sign […]
As the market leaders in home movement and suppression, I was surprised by your direct marketing feature, The Right Stuff (MW April 22) which questions the “true value of data gathered from data providers” and whether “sophisticated, high-cost lists always provide a better return on investment”. The fact remains that these days positive targeting only […]
ONdigital has appointed former Planet Hollywood marketer Guy Laurence as its first sales and marketing director. Laurence will handle all aspects of brand development for the digital TV company, which has a 40m advertising budget. He will join ONdigital’s seven-strong senior management team and report to chief executive Stephen Grabiner. Director of brand marketing Marc […]