Wickes 4m media up for review

DIY chain Wickes has put its 4m media buying account up for review.

The incumbent agency is Western International Media, where the account has been for the last five years.

The news comes as a further blow to Western as its vital 86m Vauxhall account is already under review, as revealed by Marketing Week ( October 22).

Wickes has drawn up a shortlist of four agencies, and Western has made it onto this list. A decision is expected in early December.

Head of marketing Michelle Begley says: “This review is a health check to see if we are still with the right agency. We had a creative agency review last year and this is part of that process.”

Last year Wickes moved its 4.5m creative account from Clark & Taylor to DMB&B. Clark & Taylor held the account for a year. Before that Lowe Howard-Spink had the business.

Begley adds that the agency review precedes a number of new store openings next year.

The chain currently has under trial six stores which carry a broader range of products such as paints, wallcoverings, and bathroom accessories.

Wickes had performed well in the Nineties until it was disclosed two years ago that misaccounting had overstated profits by 50m in the previous four years.