Ladbroke, the betting shop and hotels group tipped as a takeover target,
has shifted its financial PR business from Lowe Bell Financial to rival
Financial Dynamics.
Lowe Bell, in turn has been taken on by the debt laden leisure group
Brent Walker, whose betting shop chain William Hill competes fiercely
with Ladbroke’s own betting shops. Brent Walker’s last retained
financial PR firm was Cardew and Company.
According to Brent Walker, Lowe Bell started work on the account last
Monday. Likewise Ladbroke head of corporate affairs Steve Devany said
Financial Dynamics began work this week.
Lowe Bell has handled Ladbroke’s financial PR for two years. Asked why
he had decided to move the business, Devany said: ‘I have a new finance
director Brian Wallace who joined the firm six months ago. He takes a
lot of interest in that side of things.’
Financial Dynamics deputy chairman Jeff Randall, former City editor of
the Sunday Times and director Tim Spratt will handle the Ladbroke
business.
Lowe Bell is known to have had close links with Brent Walker for some
time. Once it had lost the Ladbroke mandate, the agency went after Brent
Walker whose pub chain Pubmaster has been tipped for flotation.
At Lowe Bell Financial, director Bob Gregory will handle the Brent
Walker account. The leisure group has debts of pounds 1.5 billion and is
60 per cent owned by its banks.
