As supermarkets encroach on the health and beauty market, and a government investigation threatens to slice drug prices, Boots is retaliating with a fierce programme of brand extension nationally and overseas. Can one of the most trusted UK br
Trebor Bassett has chosen an umbrella branding strategy and slimmed down its confectionery range to boost its modest sales.
Somerfield has accused Leo Burnett managing director Stephen Whyte of misleading his employees over the circumstances surrounding the agency’s loss of its &£13m advertising account. In a letter to Marketing Week, Somerfield accuses the agency of a “180-degree misrepresentation of the facts”. The supermarket claims it sacked Burnett two weeks ago for failing to come […]
Channel 5’s relaunch of Seventies TV team gameshow It’s A Knockout is to be sponsored by pub and restaurant chain Beefeater as part of a &£1.5m campaign celebrating the company’s “Britishness”. The Whitbread-owned group has also signed up celebrity chef Brian Turner for a series of 20 three to five-minute programmes on British food, which […]
For businesses teaming up with charities, cause-related marketing must be treated as seriously as any other marketing tool. The rewards can be high, but come with significant risks.
Strong brand names, good distribution and early trade promotion are driving newly-launched products ahead in the packages goods market.
Retailing may be in the throes of globalisation fever, but domestic glory is all too often elusive away from home. Brand values have to be communicated carefully, and stay relevant.
Boots the Chemist is considering moving into savings accounts and life insurance to build on the success of the health and travel insurance policies it launched last year (MW March 26, 1998). The chain is well placed to expand its financial services operation through the information gained from its 10 million Advantage loyalty card holders, […]
In a surprise move, Carphone Warehouse marketing director Lesley Angus is to leave the company in the middle of a &£14m review – and only six months into the job. Angus clashed with her friend and Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone over who controlled the company’s marketing plans. Dunstone, who has known Angus socially for […]
Arcadia Group has appointed Sally Bailey, director of merchandising at its teen fashion chain Top Shop, to the post of brand director at its recently acquired Sears brand Miss Selfridge. Bailey takes over from Bernie Foster, who is leaving at the end of September to take up the new position of UK managing director at […]
Somerfield has made another senior marketer redundant and appointed the man who will lead the company’s advertising agency review. It is the latest in a series of reshuffles at the troubled supermarket chain. Paul Hutton, associate director with responsibility for brand identity, is to leave the company in the near future, as Somerfield chief executive […]
Sainsbury’s marketing director Kevin McCarten has attacked Tesco over its Clubcard loyalty scheme revamp. Claiming Sainsbury’s Reward Card offers greater benefits to customers, McCarten has accused Tesco of “playing catch up” and offering customers rewards with “strings attached”. In a statement to Marketing Week, McCarten says: “Tesco’s Clubcard is just playing catch-up with Sainsbury’s Reward […]
Kingfisher has lost another member of its Big W hypermarket chain management team following the departure of trading director Geoff Brady for Allied Carpets in June. Marketing manager Katie Spriggs, who reported directly to Brady at Kingfisher, has followed her former boss to Allied, where she will become marketing director. Kingfisher has appointed Andrew Hickling […]
The threat of recession and recent media exposure of “rip-off Britain” has given rise to a nation of cynical shoppers, according to a study by Research International (RI). Consumers believe prices are rising and they are being overcharged by high-street stores and car manufacturers. They also think adoption of the single European currency will push […]
Adidas is confident a standalone men’s fashion line will not tread on its dedicated sportswear business. But can it successfully compete in a market dominated by a new generation of urban sportswear designers and clear the tricky hurdle of pre