Co-op calls £20m ‘winner takes all’ media review

The Co-op is reviewing its £20m media agency arrangements as part of a plan to roll out all its brands under a single identity.

The Co-op is reviewing its &£20m media agency arrangements as part of a plan to roll out all its brands under a single identity.

The retailer is set to consolidate its buying and planning business in a single media agency. It uses MediaCom North for its main brand, membership work and food retailing; TCS North for Co-op Financial Services; and Starcom for media buying on Funeralcare.

Co-operative Group director of marketing Zoe Morgan will oversee the media pitch. Agencies have yet to be told the exact nature of the pitch, and non-roster shops may be invited to take part. The company hopes to appoint an agency by the end of the year.

The move follows the Co-op’s decision to shift its &£15m supermarket advertising business into McCann Erickson. The business was previously handled by Euro RSCG London. The group is testing unified brand The co-operative, which brings together financial, healthcare, retail and funeral services.

Meanwhile, the Co-op has opened three mock-up stores in “danger awareness centres” run by partner organisations in Wales and Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, in an initiative to educate youngsters about retail crime and safety, anti-social behaviour and age-restricted sales.