Tesco has lodged an official complaint to the Office of Fair
Trading over alleged price-fixing by designer clothes manufacturers. The
supermarket chain claims that manufacturers, such as Levi Strauss and
Calvin Klein, have deliberately withheld supplies to British retailers
in a bid to keep prices high. The Express
Alan Palmer, Cadbury’s marketing director, has been promoted to the new
role of international marketing director within Cadbury Schweppes.
Palmer will be responsible for overseeing the international development
of the Cadbury’s Trebor and Bassett brands. Marketing Week
Helen Cahill, the Heinz customer communications manager behind its move
into direct marketing, has been poached by Unilever. Cahill is expected
to spearhead the relationship marketing activity of the Consumer Needs
Consortium, recently formed by Unilever, Cadbury Schweppes, Bass and
Kimberly-Clark. Marketing
WPP Group’s third-quarter revenues rose by over 12 per cent to pounds
423.9 million. Gross profit was up almost 11 per cent. However, revenue
growth was slowest in its advertising companies, up just 6 per cent,
compared with 19 per cent for information and consultancy and 18 per
cent for PR and specialist communications groups. General release
Trebor Bassett has poached Kevin White (right), the Coca-Cola Schweppes
vice-president of sales and marketing, to take over as sales and
marketing director after Bruce Burnett quit earlier this month. John
Tweedale, Trebor Bassett’s sales director, takes responsibility for its
subsidiary and export business. General release
Vauxhall has confirmed it is to sponsor ITV’s coverage of the 1998 World
Cup Finals. In a deal worth more than pounds 4 million, the car
manufacturer will run sponsorship advertising featuring its range of
Vectra saloon, hatchback and estate cars. General release
Cordiant shareholders have approved the proposed demerger of Saatchi &
Saatchi and Bates Worldwide, whose holding company will carry the name,
Cordiant Communications Group. At an extraordinary general meeting last
week, the consolidation of Cordiant shares and the adoption of new
employee share schemes were also approved. General release
Chris Evans appealed this week to listeners of his Virgin radio
breakfast show to send in donations to enable him to buy the station
back from Capital Radio. Evans fears that, after the merger of the two
stations, which has been referred to the Monopolies and Mergers
Commission, his breakfast show will be dropped. He claims that he can
raise pounds 25 million of the pounds 75 million needed by selling a 50
per cent stake in his production company, Ginger Productions, to Sky TV.
Daily Star
The Ford GB marketing director, Tom Pallister, has been appointed to
head the car company’s customer services division in a restructure that
has been interpreted as a signal of a move to increase substantially its
UK marketing budget. Andreas Formica, formerly marketing director of
Ford’s Italian arm, will succeed Pallister. Marketing Week
Patricia Manning, Laura Ashley’s marketing director, is quitting,
throwing the brand into fresh turmoil. Manning, who was appointed 18
months ago by the chief executive, Ann Iverson, leaves at the end of
next week.
It is not known whether she has a job to go to.Marketing
BBC Magazines has appointed Chris Gadsby as its first marketing director
for the Radio Times. Gadsby, who joins from the magazine distribution
company, Frontline, has been given a brief to create a stronger
strategic positioning for the Radio Times. Marketing.
