Corporate communications specialist Blue Rubicon declined to comment, but is understood to have ended its long-term relationship with Tesco’s rival Sainsbury’s late last year. This week it emerged that Sainsbury’s was looking for fresh PR consultancy support.
Blue Rubicon’s appointment to a major corporate comms brief for the UK’s biggest supermarket group comes as no surprise. Tesco CEO Dave Lewis, who joined from Unilever last year, yesterday announced a major relaunch with the decision to close many of its large out-of-town stores to concentrate on more profitable smaller local outlets.
Lewis was formerly a senior marketer at Unilever, which employs Blue Rubicon as a PR consultancy.
Lewis is understood to be reviewing all of Tesco’s consultancy relationships as part of his turnaround plan, which may also put advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy on alert.