Guerilla secures £2.5m H&B work

Holland & Barrett has handed its £2.5m advertising account to start-up agency Guerilla Communications, which was set up in April by former Yellow M Newcastle group account director James Allen.

Holland & Barrett has handed its £2.5m advertising account to start-up agency Guerilla Communications, which was set up in April by former Yellow M Newcastle group account director James Allen. He shares the title of joint managing director at Guerilla with Simon Jones.

The health-food, vitamin and supplement chain has been without an agency since its incumbent, Yellow M Newcastle, went into receivership in April (MW April 2).

Holland & Barrett awarded the account to Newcastle-based Guerilla after a pitch involving several undisclosed regional agencies. The pitch was overseen by marketing manager Phil Geary.

The chain is planning a TV advertising campaign, to launch early next year, designed to show that its products are similarly priced to those with high street names such as Boots. Media planning and buying will be handled, as before, by MediaVest Manchester.

The company, which is owned by American food supplement manufacturer NBTY, has more than 460 stores across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The chain expanded into Ireland last June, when it bought Naturesway.

Holland & Barrett is campaigning, alongside other bodies, against the European Union’s Food Supplements Directive, which lists the permitted nutrients and dosages that can be used in supplements. The legislation is designed to standardise vitamin products across Europe.