Citypress wins pitch for Princes portfolio

Citypress will replace four-year incumbent Countrywide Porter Novelli (CPN) as Princes’ core PR agency, which includes a remit to push Princes’ canned food brands and products including Virgin Cola.

The appointment follows a PR review handled by marketing teams at Princes’ HQ in Liverpool (PRWeek, 14 March 2003) and its soft drinks arm in Bradford (PRWeek, 14 November 2003), that saw various agencies pitch for the contract.

The brief involves the promotion of brands such as Napolina sauces, Shippams paste, Jucee drinks and Princes’ own ranges of canned meat and fish.

Princes marketing director Neil Brownbill was unavailable for comment as PRWeek went to press, while Citypress declined to comment beyond an initial statement confirming its win.

Manchester-based Citypress’s fees for the account are likely to be less than the estimated £150,000 per year handed to CPN, according to a source close to the pitch.

Princes was seeking an agency nearer to its Liverpool HQ partly because of cost reasons, the source said.

Princes signed a marketing deal with Virgin Drinks in February last year to manage sales, distribution and marketing of its products in the UK.

CPN’s work on the account was handled by its Leeds office.