Decaux strikes Blackpool deal

Outdoor advertising company JC Decaux has picked up the street furniture contract for Blackpool.

The company will handle sales on 200 six-sheet ad panels on bus shelters in the city. The deal is part of a partnership with Blackpool Transport’s incumbent sales partner Media-Co. Its significance is that Decaux can sell the sites as part of a national package and that MediaCo will continue to handle local and regional sales.

Blackpool, famous for its Pleasure Beach, is also tipped to become a major player when gambling laws are changed. The city may benefit from the introduction of Las Vegas-style casinos once the casino regulations are lifted in the UK.

JC Decaux’s sales director Spencer Berwin claims the business is worth &£7.5m over the next 15 years. The city has a population of almost 125,000. This swells to 500,000 in the summer, making it the UK’s 20th largest conurbation.

Berwin claims the contract means that Decaux controls 12 out of the UK’s top-20 conurbations. “This increases our position as the leading six-sheet provider,” he adds.

At the end of last year JC Decaux won the street furniture contract for Leicester (MW November 26, 2002).