Month: June 2005

B&Q has asked us to point out that marketing director David Roth will not be leaving until the end of the year. Thereafter he will work for the DIY retailer as a consultant.

Kraft Foods has announced that Betsy Holden, the president of global marketing and category development, is leaving. Her departure comes 18 months after she was demoted from the role of joint chief executive of the North American business. She is planning to take a nine- to 12-month sabbatical before looking for a new position.

I have just been reading the news item headlined “Coral finds head of marketing” (MW June 23) which in paragraph three notes: “Coral… is the third-largest bookmaker in the UK after Ladbrokes and William Hill.” Since its recent acquisition of several hundred Stanley Leisure betting shops, in a &£504m deal, completed on June 19 this […]

The National Magazine Company is to relaunch women’s monthly She as a general interest title, pitching the magazine against Condé Nast’s Easy Living. The new look will be unveiled in the November issue available from October 6.

Littlewoods is setting a good example to marketers with its decision to feature for the first time a man on the cover of its Even More catalogue (MW June 9). The change of image itself isn’t such a groundbreaking move, but the fact that this decision illustrates Littlewoods’ understanding of its customers, the market it […]

Midway Games, the US video games developer and publisher, is seeking a European marketing director after former chief Matt Broughton left.

Your article “Corgi relaunches as mainstream brand” (MW June 9) while accurate in part is misleading in terms of our business direction. We are, as your article indicates, spending aggressively on new product development to recreate the strong Corgi toy heritage, but this strategy runs alongside the continuing development and growth of our collector business […]

Five is to broadcast its first interactive sponsorship, for the launch of Peugeot’s new 1007 city car. The sponsorship will run around films on the channel. In addition to the appearance of the red button in the sponsorship break-bumpers, a similar icon will be on screen during the first part of the film. Using the […]

The property boom has provided a windfall for those who know how to operate a screwdriver, but when the bubble bursts, who will pay their extortionate fees?

United Co-operatives has decided against making a bid for supermarket chain Somerfield, although it is understood that there are still two undisclosed groups interested in acquiring the chain. One group includes the Icelandic retailer Baugur. The chain is expected to fetch &£1.1bn.