Carat set to pick up £25m B&D Euro task

Power tools manufacturer Black & Decker is poised to hand its &£25m pan-European media planning and buying account to Carat.

The advertiser is believed to be in final talks with Aegis-owned Carat and is expected to announce its decision to the agencies involved today (Wednesday).

Carat pitched against MindShare, MediaCom and incumbent Universal McCann in a process that has lasted more than eight months. The advertiser first visited agencies in January this year when it kicked off the review.

The process has been primarily concentrated on the UK, Germany, France and the Nordic regions. UK billings account for &£3.7m of the budget, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Black & Decker is the world’s largest producer of power tools, but is facing increased competition from rivals including Bosch and Hitachi, as well as cheaper non-branded products.

The company also manufactures workbenches, garden tools and household items such as irons and vacuum cleaners, with its products marketed in over 100 countries. In June last year, it appointed DS-J to develop an integrated marketing campaign spanning Europe, the Middle East and Africa, when the power tools company also announced it would be bolstering its direct marketing capabilities.

Creative work, handled in the UK by McCann Erickson, is not thought to have been affected by the review. None of the media agencies involved were able to comment as Marketing Week went to press.