Cahoot seeks direct agency after ditching Grand Union

It is unclear whether the Cahoot and Abbey.com managing director, John

Goddard, will hold a pitch for the business or hand it straight to a DM
specialist.

Cahoot's marketing efforts have been conspicuous by their absence since
Abbey was taken over by Spain's Banco Santander Central Hispano in
November 2004.

The decision to move the account is understood to herald a renewed focus
on DM. The online bank is planning to launch a range of new services as
part of a change in strategy to offer simpler products and better
rates.

There has also been speculation that Banco Santander will drop the
Cahoot brand. In February, Abbey merged Cahoot's management into the
same department as Abbey, but insisted the brands would continue to be
run separately.