Brass opens London presence as it makes 16 redundancies
In announcing that the agency has opened a presence in London, Leeds marketing communications company Brass has also made 16 redundancies as a result of losing the advertising account for house builder Persimmons and public sector work.
The agency, which has been based in Leeds for the past 27 years and employs around 160 people, aims to grow its presence by opening an office in the capital as part of its client servicing and new business strategy.
The move follows a significant increase in not only the number of clients based in the South East but the volume of work that the business does with the likes of GlaxoSmithKline, The Royal Mail and Mission Foods.
Two account directors will head up the Brass London although the numbers are expected to grow within the coming months.
Meanwhile the agency has also announced that following a consultation period, it has had to make 16 redundancies, being made on both a voluntary and compulsory basis.
John Morgan, chief executive at Brass, explained: “The economic difficulties continue to impact businesses in every sector and, consequently budgets have been adversely affected. We particularly felt this amongst some of our public sector clients over the last 12 months. That forced us to review our costs, and towards the end of 2010 we started a consultation process.”
He continued: “We can now confirm that the process has been concluded and that 16 people have been made redundant or taken voluntary redundancy. This was a difficult period for all involved but was absolutely necessary to maintain the long term strength of the business.
“We have a strong business and a fantastic team with a great track record and we are looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that 2011 will undoubtedly bring," he continued.
Persimmon Homes recently appointed McCann Erickson Communications House to take on its marketing account, having won a two-way pitch against Fuse8 for the contract.