Woolworths to slash Christmas TV spend

Woolworths is to shift the bulk of its £25m Christmas advertising spend away from television to its catalogue and online business this year.

The retailer has confirmed the move but denies this will lead to an advertising review. The advertising business is handled by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, which created the brand characters Wooly and Worth.

A Woolworths spokesman says: “While spend is at a similar level to last year, more resources have been put the way of catalogue and online initiatives than in previous years.”

The shift in its advertising focus comes as Woolworths dismissed rumours that it was planning a tie-up with other retailers as it reported a 16.6% increase in sales for the 38 weeks to October 27.

Analysts have speculated that the company could enter a partnership with another retailer, possibly a supermarket looking to enlarge its footprint on the high street. Market speculation has suggested chains such as Asda, the Co-op or Morrisons as potential candidates.

Meanwhile, Woolworths’ catalogue business, called the Big Red Book, launched its third edition in stores in the first week of October. It has 112 more pages than last year and over 7,000 products and 170 pages dedicated to toys. It has printed 6 million copies and will be distributed through Woolworths’ 820 high street stores. Alongside the Big Red Book, a limited edition of 1 million copies of the catalogue Big Green Book, which contains a range of different products, will also be made available.