Lowe faces rethink of £20m Stella task

Inbev-owned Stella Artois is set to review its relationship with Lowe, putting the agency’s hold on the iconic advertising business – worth an estimated &£20m – in doubt.

The news follows the move of the &£45m Tesco advertising business out of troubled Interpublic’s Lowe London to a start-up agency set up by Sir Frank Lowe.

InBev UK & Ireland marketing director Phil Rumbol says: “If any big changes, like the Tesco account moving out of London, impacts on the agency, we will have to examine our relationship with the agency.” The business is worth more than &£10m in the UK.

But Rumbol adds that the departure of Paul Weinberger is unlikely to lead to a review of the advertising business. “We are continuing to work with the agency at this time and are happy with our team, but the Tesco move and the move of some of the talent out of the agency is clearly a big development. We will continue to monitor these developments.”

Since the announcement, Lowe London has announced that chief creative Matthew Bull will leave his global role and return to his native South Africa. He will, however, continue to work with the agency in South Africa.

Lowe has held the Stella Artois global advertising business since 1981.