Sears boss Liam Strong is seeking a buyer for the Olympus Sports chain’s high-street stores, according to City analysts. Strong, former marketing director of British Airways, revealed the poor performance of the 200 stores in Sears’ Christmas trading statement last week. He talked of the “continued difficult trading environment for the high-street chain,” adding that […]
It seems to have been forgotten that it was the Saatchi Brothers themselves who destroyed the Saatchi empire and let down their shareholders prior to the company being rescued by others. Maurice Saatchi talks of the current regime giving little thought to clients, yet only a few years ago he and his brother distanced themselves […]
Volvo director of marketing Alexei Orlov has left the company following a restructure, which has seen the marketing role merged with sales. Orlov had been with Volvo since 1992 and has left without a job to go to. The new position of sales and marketing director is taken by Gerry Keaney, formerly director of sales […]
I was stunned by the unnamed media analyst’s revelation in Helen Slingsby’s article “Saatchi moots his next move” (MW January 6) that “At the end of the day, there may not be any value in advertising beyond the people involved… if they leave, the investment becomes very risky.” Quite so. I think most of us […]
Private Patients Plan, the UK’s third largest health insurance company, has centralised its marketing department following the departure of several senior marketing executives. It is understood that the old structure, where each separate division had its own marketing department, has been replaced with a central marketing department. The group is thought to be searching for […]
It isn’t “ludicrous”, it isn’t “natural injustice” that Rupert Murdoch should own a larger percentage of satellite television than other newspaper publishers can own in terrestrial TV (Leader, MW December 1 1994). Such huffing and puffing is good lobbying fodder for our competitors but holds no intellectual water, as those working on the issues (rather […]
Volkswagen has received pitches for a multimillion-pound sales promotion drive to exploit the car company’s sponsorship of this summer’s Rolling Stones tour. Four agencies – IMP, Interfocus, CBH & Partners and incumbent Barraclough Hall Woolston Grey – pitched last week for the UK business. The account underlines the increasing emphasis on direct marketing and sales […]
The article about Penguin’s 60th anniversary (MW January 6) reported accurately on many of the promotion and publicity activities we will be undertaking to celebrate this year, but fared less well in its reporting of Penguin’s financial situation. The implication of the quoted figures is that, to use your reporter’s phrase, “investment in Penguin is […]
Two Way TV has appointed promotions specialist Curtis Hoy to work on the consumer launch of the interactive TV system now scheduled for June. “Curtis Hoy’s brief is to devise activities including a roadshow and joint promotions with Radio Rentals and Granada to boost sales,” Two Way TV sales and marketing head Peter Cowie says. […]
Having lost the opening rounds in the Saatchi versus Saatchi battle there is reason to believe that Saatchi & Saatchi plc is recovering its position. It could be argued that after losing a dozen staff, clients worth about ú85m announcing reviews and experiencing a share price collapse, the situation could only get better for Charles […]
The Advertising Standards Authority says that the new combined advertising and sales promotion code is an attempt to head off restrictive legislation from Brussels and Whitehall. John Hooper, chairman of the CAP, says: “We know that there are those in Brussels and Strasbourg who would rather legislate than self-regulate, we in Britain must demonstrate that […]
Gone are the days when your pet would have to make do with a plate of leftovers and a night in the shed. Now, cats and dogs rule the roost.
Simon Mallalieu, the former sales and marketing director of Lyons Cakes who left to become managing director of holiday firm Wallace Arnold, has left the post after three months. Mallalieu, who also headed sales and marketing for Wallace Arnold, was appointed following a major restructure last summer after the company’s first half losses increased to […]
Slimmers can buy the first guilt-free, low-calorie indulgence chocolate bar, Lo Gold, this week, according to manufacturers Leaf UK. Leaf says it is the first confectionery of its type to be aimed at the mainstream chocolate countline market. The caramel and chocolate flavour truffle sweet has only 129 calories in each 35g bar. Leaf says […]
Only weeks after the launch of Mastercard’s TV branding campaign, rival Visa has begun a four-week burst pushing its own debit card. The TV ads, which have been created by Saatchi & Saatchi, use word games to illustrate the voice-over. The picture, above, illustrates `a count’. The ads are the first since last year’s Denis […]