St Luke's poised to scoop Waterstone's

by Emma Barns, Campaign 22-Jul-05

St Luke's is set to win the £5 million Waterstone's account, following a four-way pitch that kicked off in April.

DFGW, Burkitt DDB and the incumbent, Beechwood, were involved earlier in
the process, with the final shoot-out between St Luke's and Beechwood
conducted last month. The review was handled by the AAR.

Waterstone's, the UK's biggest bookstore chain, has until now worked

with agencies on a project basis. Beechwood handled the store's
Christmas campaign. This used a pantomime theme to launch the retailer's
three-for-two paperbacks promotion. It ran across TV, press and outdoor
and used the line: "Make a wishlist."

The review is not thought to affect Waterstone's media agency, PHD.

Waterstone's has nearly 200 stores across the UK and Ireland and its
flagship branch on Piccadilly in London is the biggest bookshop in
Europe.

A Waterstone's spokeswoman denied a final decision had been made and
said an announcement would be made by the end of July.