WA Shearings briefs Cheetham Bell to target young market

WA Shearings, the holiday company that specialises in the mature market, has appointed Cheetham Bell JWT to its £2m advertising business after a competitive pitch against undisclosed agencies.

The appointment comes just two weeks after it appointed MediaVest Manchester to its £3m media planning and buying account, following a two-way knockout with MediaCom North. Brazen PR has been handed the public relations account.

The three Manchester-based agencies will be tasked with bringing the brand to younger buyers after WA Shearings appointed branding agency Lambie Nairn earlier this year to carry out a brand evaluation.

The company now plans to relaunch as a holiday operator also catering for a younger audience in September.

Previously, the travel company worked with a roster of advertising agencies as well as London-based Bygraves, Bushell, Valladares & Sheldon, who handled media buying and planning, and BGB, a London-based PR agency.

Cheetham Bell chief executive Dave Bell says: “This is an opportunity to take a well-respected and established brand in a new direction. WA Shearings has such a diverse product range that our creative needs to deliver at many levels, from direct marketing to online.”

WA Shearings was created from the merger of Shearings Holidays and Wallace Arnold in March 2005.

The Wigan-based company has more than 700,000 customers and offers coach, cruise and rail holidays, along with holiday experiences, across the UK and Europe.

The company also owns a chain of 44 hotels in the UK.