Diary: Thwarting Herculean labours for Allied invasion

Defending a hostile bid is intricate, painstaking work for PR firms

representing their clients. Defences can go on for weeks on end, with

plans jealously guarded to keep the opposition guessing ... usually,

that is.

Word reaches me that there was a bit of a panic on at Schroders last

week after a press release detailing client Allied Colloids response to

a hostile bid from US chemicals group Hercules contained just a bit too

much detail.

One particularly alarming paragraph in the release contained information

on Allied’s secret defence strategy for the next few weeks.

However, disaster was averted by the Schroders press office which rang

around City journalists asking them not to reveal the ’secret’ battle

plans.

Just why Schroders was sending out press releases when Allied Colloids

uses Lowe Bell Financial as its retained agency is another question.

A source close to Schroders called the incident a ’technical hitch’.

It sent out a corrected release within the hour.