BORDER LINES: NEW YORK - BBDO in tentative ploy for Drury

Omnicom-owned agency Batten Barton Durstine Osborn (BBDO) has expressed interest in buying Dublin-based PR firm Drury Communications. According to Drury’s MD and largest shareholder Bill Murphy, talks are at ’a very early stage’. Drury - with annual fees of almost pounds 2.5 million - was the subject of an MBO last year, and has attracted interest from at least three other international companies. The firm recently added Budapest to its existing offices in Dublin and Belfast. Murphy dismissed speculation that the 11-year-old firm was considering floating on the Dublin stock exchange as ’without foundation’.