PWLC forced to close by staff and client losses
Leeds-based agency PWLC has closed its doors after five years in operation. The agency had endured a turbulent couple of years, with three founding partners and a succession of major clients leaving the business since 2005.
The most notable client departure came in July last year, when furniture giant DFS moved its £40million account to Sheffield-based Uber.
The blow came a year after co-founder Mike Phillipson left the company to take on the managing director post at Propaganda, an agency he has since bought into.
Propaganda has subsequently secured the £5m Fox’s Biscuits and £2m Car People accounts which had previously been handled by PWLC.
Last April, creative directors Pete Camponi and Rick Ward dealt a further blow to the business by quitting to work as freelancers and for production company Mob North.
The move left John Longworth as the last remaining partner at PWLC.
The company launched in 2002 with the aim of becoming a top 10 UK agency. At the time of its decision to cease trading, its remaining clients were SkyBet, Johnson Paint, Blackpool Marketing Consortium and Hotel Focus.
One industry insider has speculated that a number of suppliers are still owed money.
Longworth was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.