Littlewoods to pool 16m business into one agency

Littlewoods Pools is centralising its entire 16m advertising account into one agency and is holding a three-way pitch for the business.

Lowe Howard-Spink, Bates Dorland and D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles are understood to be vying for the work.

A spokesman for the company says that the pitch is for combined Littlewoods Pools, Spot the Ball and scratchcards.

LH-S handles the 10m (Register-MEAL) pools business, Bates has the estimated 4.5m scratchcard work and DMB&B’s Manchester subsidiary, Stowe Bowden Wilson, holds the 1.8m Spot the Ball account.

The spokesman says the winner will be announced next month.

Littlewoods Pools marketing director Tony Hillyer joined the company in July from Golden Wonder with a brief to drive sales of pools business through retail outlets.

Though the Government lifted restrictions on pools advertising this year, allowing TV commercials for the first time in April, sales have been hit by the National Lottery. Since last year, they have fallen by between 15 and 20 per cent.

In September, the company launched a charity-based scratchcard through Bates Dorland.

Sources close to Littlewoods say the majority of ad spend will switch from the mainstream pools side to scratchcards and lotteries.