Tuesday 26 January 2010

A SPADE IS A SPADE

After launching the world’s most expensive ham last Monday (how much I hear you say? let’s just say it was a ham and a leg), Selfridges went back to the seventies the following day, re-creating iconic sit com Are You Being Served in a one off charity sale in honor of the late Wendy Richard. Wendy’s ex colleagues put down their scripts and travelled to her favourite store to help sell her memorabilia in aid of Lady Taveners charity. The event was a magnificent success, featured on BBC’s lunch time news, Radio 4, Radio 2, live links throughout the day on Five live and a host of print coverage the following day, showing scenes of Mr Rombold sending the tills a ringing, June Brown donning a purple wig and James Alexandrou serenading Natalie Cassidy during her break from Strictly on Ice.

Thursday we painted our fingers a fashionable shade of Jade green, to celebrate Alan Titchmarsh joining forces with B&Q, launching a campaign to Get Britain Gardening. Despite my confusing a rake for a shovel (it could have happened to anyone), the photo call with Alan and B&Q’s CEO Euan Sutherland at the retailer’s flagship New Malden store was a blooming success. After the photographers left to wire their images of Alan encased in a tropical greenhouse, we whizzed our way to the Haymarket Hotel for B&Q’s spring/summer press show. 130 journalists were bowled over as the Haymarket’s pool area was transformed into a tropical haven, spilling with exotic plants, designer inspired garden furniture, state of the art sheds, the coolest barbeques and everything your summer heart would desire. I was tempted to take a dip in the pool but decided against, as it would have ruined Jenny’s floating petal display. The event and subsequent coverage were world class, with Alan’s collaboration landing in titles ranging from the FT to The Sun to USA Today.

Monday 11 January 2010

Happy New Year!

Well here it is, 2010! As we ZPR girls return from our festive holidays, we enter into a New Year with high hopes for fantastic coverage, and slightly lower hopes for our waning New Year’s resolutions. Whilst most of the girls have stuck to the cardinal rule of no rules, Jackie is living for the moment, and Rhianne is planning for an exciting 2010, with a possible audition for the X-factor!

Whilst the country has been caught in the big freeze, B&Q has been aiding the nation as they brave the cold. From rock salt to shovels and wellies the big freeze is certainly having an impact on weather related products. In the last three weeks compared to last year sales of rock salt are up 150 per cent, shovels up 200 per cent and wellies up 120 per cent.

However it seems that no amount of snow could drive those keen shoppers away from their favourite time of the year, the January sales. With fantastic deals to spruce up your home for the New Year with B&Q, treating yourself to those beauty essentials at Superdrug, and fabulous fashion deals at Peacocks, our clients proved that you can’t beat a good bargain.

It has been a strong Christmas period for each of our clients as we successfully reported fantastic sales not only with those hotly anticipated sales, but right up until the crucial last days before Christmas which saw many of you rush to find those last-minute gifts as panic buying ensued!

As we look back to the Noughties, we celebrate the nation’s ultimate celebrity beauties as Superdrug named the beauty icon of not only the year, but the decade. With previous winners including the nation’s beloved Cheryl Cole, the annual poll left us fighting our corners for our favourite celebs. It turns out the poll which questioned 3,000 people, asked once again if we were Team Aniston or Team Jolie. With her famous pout and enviable locks, Angelina Jolie trumped Jennifer Aniston to the top spot. As the list of top 20 icons compiled women from young stunners to ageless beauties, Superdrug proved that women of all ages can get the look of their favourite icon.