Top US agency to set up in UK

Fallon McElligott, one of the most highly regarded creative advertising agencies in the US, is looking at setting up an office in the UK by the end of the year.

The Minneapolis-based agency with billings of $500m (312m) has employed headhunters to find staff at all levels for the new office.

In the US, the agency has reputation for creating award-winning ads. It favours working with a small group of high-profile, cash-rich clients. The roster includes BMW, Nikon, United Airlines, Miller Lite, and Lee Jeans.

A spokeswoman for the agency says: “We would like this to happen by the end of the year if all goes well. We believe our brand can travel, we want to become a global agency.”

Pat Fallon, the chairman of the agency, is personally managing this project. However, he will not come to London to run the office, as he is too crucial to the working of the Minneapolis headquarters.

The agency says that the London office will be the first step on the path to a global network. However, the next office after London will be outside Europe.

In 1995, the agency opened Fallon McElligott Berlin in New York, with Andrew Berlin as its chairman.

The agency is owned by Fallon McElligott, but run virtually autonomously. The London office would be expected to work on similar lines.