Premier Foods plots £26m roster review

Premier Foods is understood to be reviewing its 26m advertising roster with a view to consolidation, following its acquisition of rival RHM.

Premier Foods is understood to be reviewing its £26m advertising roster with a view to consolidation, following its acquisition of rival RHM.

The advertising business is split between a number of roster agencies, including CHI & Partners, Delaney Lund Knox Warren (DLKW), McCann Erickson and Publicis.

CHI handles the majority of the brands, including Ambrosia, Loyd Grossman and Gale’s Spreads. It was handed the £6m Branston product range from DLKW without a pitch last year.

Premier moved advertising for Oxo, a brand it picked up from the Campbell Soup takeover, into Publicis without a pitch last year. It also handles the £9m advertising account for Quorn, although it is not clear if it will be included in this review.

It is thought that potential cost efficiencies are behind the mooted review, which follows the consolidation of media planning and buying into Starcom (MW July 19).

The company has been reviewing all its operations following the acquisition of RHM, completed in March, and Campbell’s Soup Company in 2006.

Premier was previously part of the Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Group and floated on the stock market in 2004. It bought the Quorn brand in June 2005 as part of a £172m acquisition of Marlow Foods.

The group announced a restructure of its operations last month, which is expected to result in up to 600 job losses and the closure of six factories by 2009.