bezier

3D Excellence

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Case Study

Case Study

Case Study

bezier news

You can see our latest news here and view our archived press releases here. Pop back regularly to keep up-to-date with the most recent news at bezier.

bezier group announces management buy-in led by David Mitchell
Effective from November 5th 2009 the bezier group is pleased to announce a management buy-in and the completion of a £6.5 million equity injection and financial restructuring. David Mitchell will become chairman of bezier group, Europe’s leading retail marketing agency.

In 2005 bezier group was bought by MidOcean Partners and as Graham Clempson, MidOcean’s European managing partner, explains: “We have been searching for some time now for someone with the right track record who can steer bezier group to new heights. We are very confident that in David Mitchell and his team we have found the right blend of skills to add to bezier’s existing management.

“It is a testament to the strength of the bezier platform that we have been able to attract a leader of David’s calibre. Together with the fresh equity injection from MidOcean and management we believe that this will ensure the group’s future success.”

David Mitchell previously held senior posts in St Ives Group and Associated Newspapers before building up the Huntingdon based print and document management company Astron Group from a turnover of under £10m to over £300m within nine years before selling it to RR Donnelley.

David Mitchell said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to build a world class business. From what I have seen, we are starting from a solid platform. We have a great business, excellent and hard working people, well invested facilities and a great customer base.”

Joining David in the management buy in are two colleagues who worked with him in his days at Astron. Both Trevor O’Reilly and Alistair Stewart will be joining the group board alongside Mark Shaw from bezier’s existing team. Trevor will have responsibility for optimising operational efficiencies and Alistair will be responsible for accelerating the company’s business development programme.

David Mitchell commented: “Having worked closely before with both Trevor and Alistair I am very pleased that they have agreed to join me in this buy-in. Their skills will be invaluable in ensuring that we provide an even greater focus on servicing our clients.

“In addition to Mark Shaw and Gary Knight’s deep understanding of the retail marketing space our talented people, leading edge technologies and scale places us in a great position to provide the market with a truly compelling and unique proposition. I am really looking forward to it.”

Mark Shaw said: “This is very good news and a very good development for all bezier stakeholders. I am really pleased to be part of this and to playing a significant role in contributing to the team and growth of the business”.

On the financial side, MidOcean Partners will be backing the new management with further investment in order to support the growth plans of the business. With additional support from RBS and Lloyds TSB the company benefits from a strong balance sheet that will support the ambitions and growth plans of the business.

David Mitchell said: “Having MidOcean as our equity partner was key to us, others talk partnership and support, they stepped up”.
Graham Clempson concluded: “This buy-in will not only strengthen the management team but also provide the company with real financial strength.”
New price mechanism for ASDA stores designed and implemented by bezier groupNew price mechanism for ASDA stores designed and implemented by bezier group

In order to continually drive value and a clear price message to customers, bezier group’s innovation team undertook a project to look at ways in which ASDA could improve pricing communication on the pre-loaded pallet displays in-store.

These displays are distributed into store and are directly placed underneath the shelf on pallets on the floor. Previously price communication was delivered using only the SEL message above the pallet displayed on the shelf strip, with an arrow pointing down to indicate the product referred to. This did not generate impact in the aisle and the link between value, price and the product was not clear to shoppers on these palletised items.

bezier group came up with a solution that enables the store to change the price instantly using existing in store slide in numbers that would create impact down the aisle. The solution is a robust permanent encasing for interchangeable numbers allowing stores to alter pricing and offers. The pieces were tested for their durability and waterproofing.

Stores are now able to achieve a consistent look and feel and communicate price messaging clearly to their shoppers. Shelley Hodgkinson, Operations Manager, Retail Operations at ASDA stated: “It is important to us that our customers know that we can save them money every day and we believe that this new communication mechanism clearly shouts the value to our customers.”

In total over 29,700 units will be produced by bezier group and rolled out across the estate over 3 weeks.

- ENDS -

For further information please contact Joy Lees, group Marketing Director on 07779 726117 or email jlees@beziergroup.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

About bezier group
- bezier group is Europe’s leading retail marketing agency.
- bezier group has a turnover of over £100 million for 09/10.
- The group employs around 1000 colleagues across 9 sites across Leicester, Leeds, London, Poole, Thurrock and Wakefield.
- bezier was formed from a funded management buy out of the specialist printing division of WACE Group plc in May 1998 by Electra Holdings.
- The firm divested of its textiles divisions to concentrate on the fast growing POP market.
- Using its unrivalled understanding of the retail environment bezier has invested in and developed its in-store consultancy, design and e-solutions services in addition to continuing to develop its world-class manufacturing heritage.
- Seeing its rapid growth and further potential bezier was bought by investment firm MidOcean in late 2005.
- During 2006, bezier acquired Leicester-based permanent POP supplier, Pointer.
- In March 2008, the bezier group acquired London-based retail marketing agency, Coutts Retail Communications (CRC).
Kimberly-Clark extends lead supply contract with bezier group
bezier group is delighted to announce that it has extended its current 11 year relationship with Kimberly-Clark for an additional 2 years. The relationship spans POS production across all major retailers in the UK, as well as supplying European markets.

Mark Shaw, CEO of bezier group stated: “We are thrilled to have extended our long standing partnership with Kimberly-Clark. We believe our proven process of joint business planning with clients enables us to offer fantastic value as well as delivering ongoing cost savings.”

Steve Lane, Head of Category Management at Kimberly-Clark commentated: “Following a competitive pitch it is great that we have extended our partnership with bezier group. Their ability to look at ways to drive cost out whilst adding value through their retail experience and knowledge is crucial to us as a business. We are very much looking forward to working together to help drive our category profile.”

Shaw added: “As with all our key customers we look to work as a true extension of the marketing team at Kimberly-Clark. We have a full time colleague that works in KC’s head office as a dedicated account manager and we are always looking for innovative ways to help the team at KC and raise the profile of POP. We also run inductions for KC graduate trainees to support their development and ensure a smooth working process.”

The scope of the contract includes a library facility, permanent and semi-permanent display, 3D structural design, concepts and artworking and a POS website on KC’s intranet. In addition the group provides ongoing innovation and retail marketing insights to brand and category teams.

- ENDS -

For further information please contact Joy Lees, Group Marketing Director on 07779 726117 or email jlees@beziergroup.co.uk

Notes to editors:

About bezier group

• The bezier group is Europe’s leading retail marketing agency.

• The bezier group has a turnover approaching £100 million for 2008/2009 • The group employs around 1000 colleagues across 10 sites across Bristol, Leicester, Leeds, London, Poole, Thurrock and Wakefield.

• bezier was formed from a funded management buy out of the specialist printing division of WACE Group plc in May 1998 by Electra Holdings.

• The firm divested of its textiles divisions to concentrate on the fast growing POP market which is estimated to have grown by 13% between 1995 and 2002 and is forecast to grow by a further 3.4% between 2005 and 2008.

• Using its unrivalled understanding of the retail environment bezier has invested in and developed its in-store consultancy, design and e-solutions services in addition to continuing to develop its world-class manufacturing heritage.

• Seeing its rapid growth and further potential bezier was bought by investment firm MidOcean in late 2005.

• During 2006, bezier acquired Leicester-based permanent POP supplier, Pointer.

• In March 2008, the bezier group acquired London-based retail marketing agency, Coutts Retail Communications (CRC).
bezier group innovates to support ASDA’s environmental agendabezier group will now be supplying "Eco" board exclusively in the UK to their customers as an alternative to foam board. bezier group is committed to finding genuine innovations that can benefit customers and the environment. This new product is a real breakthrough in its field.

"Eco" board is manufactured from paper fibres and is engineered around an advanced low-density core. As a result it is recyclable through widely available conventional cardboard recycling systems. ASDA, in their drive to have zero waste to landfill by 2010, will now be using Eco board for all their hanging signs and some gondola end elements.

Mark Shaw, CEO of bezier group stated; "Our customers' challenges are also ours; we work hard to resolve their issues. The Environment is very much at the top of everyone’s agenda and as such we are delighted to be making real strides towards fully recyclable retail marketing campaigns."

Julian Walker-Palin, Head of Corporate Policy for Sustainability and Ethics at ASDA added "Not only has bezier helped with our environmental objectives but they have also reduced cost through significant landfill savings and generated revenue from recycling material at end of the products life. Crucially we are able to pass on these savings to our customers who are feeling the effects of the current economic climate."

This is the second environmentally friendly initiative put in place by bezier and ASDA following the replacement of existing banners to fully recyclable material in ASDA stores.
enyanga shortlisted in two award categories
enyanga, part of the bezier group, has been shortlisted for two Retail System Awards under the categories of ‘best use of technology in the hospitality & leisure sector’ and ‘back office solution of the year’.

enyanga’s ground breaking project with InterContinental Hotels Group delivered a complete Online Asset Management Solution named Genesys. Genesys is a central system that allows individual hotels, franchisees and owners to search for important brand asset information as well as providing the tools to create personalised marketing collateral relevant to each hotel’s specific commercial requirements.

Chris Hale, VP Marketing Communications for InterContinental Hotels Group said “We are the world’s largest hotel group by the number of rooms, and our brands are some of the best known and most popular in the world. This new system will help drive consistency of message and quality of brand communications across the UK, Europe or the Middle East, which for such a large and diverse group is absolutely imperative.”

Glenn Batty, Group Managing Director said “We are delighted to be finalists for the third year running for this prestigious award. It is a testament to the cutting edge solutions that we have the capability to provide to our clients”.
unique recruitment drive for Boots at white city
Creative shopper marketing agency Coutts, part of the bezier group will produce a four minute virtual reality DVD for their client, Boots. The DVD will be used as part of Boots’ recruitment campaign for the White City (London) flagship store, scheduled to open at the end of October. Coutts has also produced a special widescreen edition of the film for showing on plasma screens at Boots’ mockup store at Head Office in Nottingham. The DVD includes pans, zooms and photos of the store to give the viewer a clear vision of the new store.

John Savage, MD of Coutts commented: “We’re excited to gain this opportunity to work with Boots and showcase our creative talents. Boots wanted a contemporary, sophisticated visual presentation to accompany their recruitment campaign: it was really enjoyable to work on such a high profile project.”

Darren Wintle, Customer Offer Manager at Boots remarked “The DVD will greatly assist our recruitment campaign in a competitive environment where many other retailers are also trying to attract staff. We already use the bezier group of companies for print, production, fulfillment and consultancy – the harnessing of Coutts’ creativity to produce the DVD has enabled us to enhance our recruitment efforts by generating excitement about the new Boots store to potential employees

Boots are keen to recruit candidates of the highest quality. The DVD will demonstrate a flagship store environment and entice the best candidates to sign up for Boots.
The bezier Group Scoop Six POPAI Nominations
The bezier group, the leading retail marketing agency has received six nominations in the POPAI awards 2008. The POPAI Awards recognise excellence in the POP market, a market worth in excess of £1bn per annum in the UK and Ireland.

The agency, which employs more than 1,000 people across the UK, has been recognised across five categories as announced in July’s edition of In-Store magazine. The bezier group were nominated for their work for clients and brands including Coty, Fanta, Nivea, and Lynx.

Mark Shaw, Chief Executive for the bezier group, commented: “We are delighted to have been nominated six times over such a wide range of categories; this shows the diversity of the bezier group’s creative capabilities”.

The award ceremony where the winners will be announced will be held on October 9th 2008 at the Marriot Hotel, London. The night will be hosted by top comedian Frankie Boyle.
bezier group leads the way with leadership training programme
The bezier group has completed its first year-long leadership training programme. The bespoke course was designed to maximise individual, team and organisational performance by developing the management and leadership skills of senior individuals in the business.

Andy Woolley, HR Director of the bezier group said: “The programme demonstrates bezier group’s commitment to developing the fabulous talent we have in our business. Retaining a highly skilled management team is key to keeping us ahead of our competition in retail marketing.

“Everyone who passed the programme will be taking a solid understanding of management leadership techniques back to their office or factory floor that will not only yield benefits in the short term, but throughout their entire careers.”

Such was the success of the programme, bezier group is planning to run it out annually to all colleagues in management and supervisory positions.

The group, Europe’s leading retail marketing agency, now employs more than 1,200 people and is made up of the best in class agencies whose services provide seamless retail marketing solutions for their customers. The group has a clear understanding that it is important to invest in the development of their colleagues to ensure its ongoing success and growth.
the bezier group appoints new CSR manager
The bezier group, Europe’s leading retail marketing group, has appointed Paul Haycock in the new role of corporate social responsibility manager.

Paul will be tasked with developing and implementing the group’s CSR strategy. As well as working with local communities and suppliers, his focus will be on finding innovative ways that the group can minimise its environmental impact and assist its suppliers and customers to do the same.

With a background in ‘green’ chemistry and biofuels, Paul joined from Rockware Glass where he worked with clients including Coca Cola and Britvic as environmental co-ordinator improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprints for clients.

Mark Shaw, chief executive of the bezier group said; “We are determined to make real and quantifiable steps to improve our environmental performance. By appointing Paul as CSR manager, we have a fantastic opportunity to find scientifically valid ways of really making a difference and reducing our own environmental impact and that of our suppliers and clients.”

Paul Haycock said; “Too many CSR policies are light weight, have little impact on communities and the environment and instead act as a marketing tool. It is great to find a company who is so keen to lead its industry in finding ways of making tangible results.”

The bezier group now employs more than 1,000 people across the UK, and is made up of individual best in class agencies whose services provide a seamless retail marketing solution for our customers from brand planning and creative campaign development, through in-store implementation to full evaluation of the campaign.
lack of awareness of POP procedures hampers compliance
Communication breakdown over correct procedure is one of the biggest challenges to POP compliance, according to research results from the bezier group.

bezier, Europe’s leading retail marketing group surveyed a fifth of all stores within the estates of some of its most prominent high street customers, including ASDA, Boots, Homebase, Argos, Kwikfit and Thresher Group. The results also demonstrated that more than 30 per cent of all stores were not aware of a set procedure for receiving, storing and constructing POP materials. But of 70 per cent that were aware, almost all (99.6 per cent) adhered to that procedure.

POP compliance is a growing issue for retailers as they strive to reduce waste and lessen their environmental impact.

While POP is becoming increasingly innovative and space conscious, the research also revealed that one of the most common concerns for stores is that they continue to receive POP that is not relevant for their store and therefore won’t be used.

Mark Shaw, chief executive of the bezier group, said; “The results prove that an in-store POP procedure does work, but that it needs to be tailored to the individual store, to ensure that each store can easily communicate their exact requirements and in return, also understand what is expected of them in terms of implementation.

“We will continue to work closely with our clients to improve compliance so that we can ensure budgets are maximised and potential sales are not lost. Many retailers that we work with have dedicated helplines and store service teams that help train POS champions in-store and assist with new store openings. One size does not fit all, so to help stores in ordering and installing their POS correctly, each store pack is put together according to their individual requirements, in high visibility packaging to aid implementation for store colleagues.”
bezier group further strengthen their hold on retail marketing
bezier group is delighted to announce the acquisition of CRC. The move forms a £130 million specialist retail marketing agency offering services from brand planning and creative campaign development through in-store implementation to evaluation of campaigns. Following the announcement this morning Mark Shaw, Chief Executive of bezier group stated: “We are thrilled to welcome CRC into the group. We will now be working on our integration plans and looking at how best we can all work together. I am excited about our extended offering to the marketplace and keen to start working with our new colleagues at CRC.

“In an uncertain economy, retail becomes even more important for maximising brand impact and return on investment - and that’s where the bezier group really adds value and makes marketing budgets work even harder. The bezier group’s unique proposition gives us a fantastic opportunity to work closely with our customers to ensure that they are creating impact at retail and maximising return on investment.”

The bezier group has already proved that it is able to extend its offering to its customer base with many customers now engaging with the different agencies in the group. Commenting on this Shaw said that “Our customers want to work with independent best in class agencies. Our model allows them to do that whilst knowing that as part of a larger group we can offer savings in terms of cost – and significantly time. Retail is an incredibly fast paced market and our customers need to be able respond quickly to their competitive marketplaces.”
Proposed bezier group acquisition of CRC to form £130 million retail marketing agency
Proposed bezier group acquisition of CRC to form £130 million retail marketing agency Today, the bezier group, Europe’s largest retail marketing agency has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase London-based retail marketing agency, Coutts Retail Communications (CRC). The acquisition remains subject to final legal completion, which is expected to be confirmed next week. Such a move would further enhance the bezier group’s impressive customer base across retail, consumer and leisure brands.

Following the announcement this morning Mark Shaw said “The proposed acquisition of CRC would offer further strength and depth to the bezier group and give us unrivalled creative and production capability for retail marketing in the UK. The creative hub in Soho would offer the bezier group our long awaited London base and in addition CRC’s sites in France and Germany would offer a European presence which we feel is crucial for many of our customers who conduct pan-European campaigns. We would be thrilled to welcome CRC to the group with their 30 years of industry experience and excellent creative reputation.”

Alan Wild, Chairman of CRC said “We are very excited about the prospect of becoming part of the bezier group. Our combined expertise and portfolio of services will be unparalleled in our sector and make us by far the biggest and most specialised group in Europe. Together, we will be able to further enhance and develop the retail marketing expertise we can offer our customers.”

Retail Marketing is strengthening its position as a marketing medium with many leading brands and retailers openly discussing the shift of spend from above-the-line to below-the-line. An independent survey commissioned by the bezier group and conduced by Deloitte in August 2007 found that UK advertising spend is growing at roughly 3% per annum with below the line spend the fastest growing part of the market.

News of the proposed acquisition follows the group’s re-brand to tie all agencies into the bezier group family to underline the group’s complete retail marketing offering to retailers and brands. Delivered through best in class agencies, the group offers services from brand planning and creative campaign development through in-store implementation to evaluation of campaigns.
the bezier group wins contract with intercontinental hotels group
The bezier group, Europe’s leading retail marketing agency, has won a three year contract with InterContinental Hotels Group, one of the largest hotel groups by number of rooms in the world.

The retail marketing agency has developed an Online Asset Management Solution system, ‘genesys’, which will act as a central portal to the hotel group’s local marketing toolkits. The new system, which launched within the UK on the 18th of February, will be rolled out initially in the UK and then across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) within the next few months.

InterContinental Hotels Group operates several hotel brands in EMEA including Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Express by Holiday Inn. Previously, each hotel’s local marketing materials were developed and managed by numerous external agencies. The new system is designed to allow individual hotels to create their own local marketing collateral online in minutes utilising pre designed templates but adding their own personalised messages. As well as being quicker and more cost effective, the new system will create greater brand synergy across the group, as the marketing materials created for each of the 600 plus hotels using the site will be controlled via one source.

Glenn Batty, group technology director for the bezier group said; “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract. The bezier group is dedicated to providing seamless retail marketing solutions, and this new system will enable the InterContinental Hotels Group to have better control over its marketing materials, whilst being more cost and time effective.”

Tamara Strauss, director of leisure marketing for InterContinental Hotels Group said; “Our brands are some of the best known and most popular in the world. This new system will help control and manage each brands look and send our customers the same message no matter where in the region they are which, for such a large and diverse group, is imperative.”

The bezier group employs more than 1,000 people across the UK, made up of individual best in class agencies whose services provide a seamless retail marketing solution for our customers from brand planning and creative campaign development, through to in-store implementation and full evaluation of the campaign.
the bezier group appoints new group manufacturing director
The bezier group, Europe’s leading retail marketing agency, has appointed Andy Harrison as group manufacturing director.

Andy has worked with the company for more than 11 years, progressing from print manager up to manufacturing director of the Wakefield site. In his newly formed role as group manufacturing director with responsibility for seven sites, his experience and expertise will be used to ensure that the skill and talents of the entire bezier group are maximised.

The bezier group employs more than 1,000 people across the UK, and is made up of individual best in class agencies whose services provide a seamless retail marketing solution for our customers from brand planning and creative campaign development, through in-store implementation to full evaluation of the campaign.

Mark Shaw, CEO of the bezier group said: “Offering market leading manufacturing is at the very core of our heritage, and the creation of this position underlines the group’s continuing commitment to world class production.”
bezier makes innovative new appointmentbezier, the leading in-store marketing agency, has appointed Paul Whitehead as innovation development manager.

Paul has 15 years experience at bezier, and has spent this time working on and developing the ASDA account by pioneering innovative new forms of POP. In his new enhanced role, he will now be responsible for using his extensive skills and expertise to benefit the agency's other clients.

Paul's appointment further expands the innovations team, underlining the company’s commitment to advancing innovation and being the global leader for in-store marketing.

Paul comments: "I am delighted to have been appointed to the innovations team and look forward to using my experience and ideas to develop POP for more of our clients. Innovation for us involves constantly evolving and improving ways of communicating with shoppers in-store, and I'm looking forward to bringing new ideas to teams across our client base."

Mark Shaw, CEO at bezier said: "We are thoroughly committed to developing the innovations team and being at the forefront of leading in-store trends. The need for innovation, brand experiences and impressive in-store ideas is vital to grab and retain the attention of shoppers."
Asda's haunted house halloweenASDA is rolling out its largest ever display for Halloween this year, incorporating sound and motion to add the look and feel of the huge in-store campaign. The POP has been implemented by leading in-store marketing agency, bezier.

The campaign materials have been designed to illustrate an 'ASDA Family' haunted house, and include a broken floorboards floor graphic, hanging beams and chandeliers. Other elements of the campaign include a black curtained entrance to the Halloween aisle, and various POP depicting 'The ASDA Family' characters and the different rooms of the house.

Sound and motion have also been included this year in the form of shuddering monsters and revolving bow-ties. The eyes of the family characters also feature LED lights, giving them an eerie 'glow'.

Steph Hughes, events POS manager at ASDA said:

"Halloween is increasingly becoming one of the major seasonal events in stores throughout the UK. For the 2007 merchandising we wanted to build on last year’s success with an even bigger and better campaign. This year we're introducing 'The ASDA Family' in a haunted mansion which we think adds a sense of fun and occasion to the stores."

Nina Butt, business unit director for bezier added:

"Interactivity and adding something extra is more important than ever to grab shoppers' attention in an environment full of marketing messaging all vying for attention. By adding sound and movement into this year’s campaign it gives the merchandise an extra point of interest and is fun for both adults and children browsing the aisle. ASDA do seasonal campaigns very well, and this has been a pleasure to work on."

ASDA's Halloween POP will be rolled out to stores on 20th September.
bezier & RNIB help clients 'see' benefits of in-store communicationLeading in-store marketing agency bezier has teamed up with RNIB to reinforce the importance of clear in-store communication.

As part of its National Customer Service Week celebrations, bezier will hold a training workshop at the Royal National Institute of Blind People for its retail and brand client base. It will demonstrate how in-store signage can often be difficult to read for blind or partially sighted people and what steps can be taken to make shopper communications easier to understand.

Mark Shaw, CEO at bezier said: "Clear in-store communication is essential not only for promotional purposes, but also for informing customers about directions around a store, and identifying available facilities. As the leading in-store agency in the UK we feel we have a duty to inform our clients about the issues involved for those with visual impairment in the retail environment. Many people are unaware that using certain fonts and colours can increase readability. We pride ourselves on being a customer focussed organisation, and feel this training is something that clients can take away with them and implement in future campaigns."

Siobonne Brewster, Senior Manager - Business Development added: "RNIB is the UK's leading charity offering information, support and advice to over two million people with sight loss, and as such we are delighted to be working with bezier on improving awareness of visual in-store communication. The aim of this session is to examine ways that bezier and its clients can change the way POP materials are designed, so that signage and in-store merchandise at least meet the minimum suggested requirements by the RNIB. It is also fitting that the training coincides not only with National Customer Service Week, but is being held during what is also Guide Dog Week 2007."

Supporting RNIB's Access to Information campaign is part of a planned raft of activities bezier is implementing for National Customer Service Week. It will also be running a number of other initiatives including customer service 'oscars' where colleagues and clients nominate each other for a job well done.
bezier blooms in support of homebase charity campaignbezier, the leading in-store marketing agency, has lent its support to client Homebase’s "No Place Like Home" charity campaign to help raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The retailer has produced a daffodil, which has been specially registered for the charity with the Royal Horticultural Society, and given the name 'Choice'. The bulbs are being sold in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care, so everyone who buys the daffodil is helping to give someone the choice to die at home. It is being sold from mid September in Homebase stores across the UK.

bezier has worked with Homebase to produce the packaging and promotional stands, which has ensured that more money will go directly to the charity. The retailer has been able to guarantee that at least 50 pence from every £1 bulb will go to the charity to help provide more Marie Curie Nurses.

As well as donating funds to the campaign, bezier has provided an official Euro 2008 shirt signed by David Beckham which was auctioned at a charity ball held by Homebase’s marketing department in Milton Keynes on 20th September. This raised a further £325 for the charity.

Ian Carnazza, managing director of bezier north said; "We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to work on this project. We have worked closely with Homebase for more than five years producing their in-store marketing materials, so it is great to be able to give something back."

Hannah Bodley from Homebase said; "In just one year, our staff and customers have helped to raise more than £600,000 for the "No Place Like Home" charity campaign in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. By purchasing and planting our "Choice" daffodil bulbs, local communities can help offer people dignity in their last days with the choice to be nursed at home."
bezier group scoops four wins at 2007 POPAI awardsIn-store marketing group bezier scooped one gold, one silver and two bronze awards at the 2007 POPAI Awards this week. The awards celebrate excellence within point of purchase marketing and feature campaigns by top brands such as Coca-Cola, Marks & Spencer and Cadbury.

bezier's permanent POP division, Pointer, took home a gold award for its in-store launch unit of Rimmels' Magnif'Eyes, and a bronze award for Max Factor work, whilst bezier was awarded silver for a cross promotional FSU created for Coca-Cola, and a bronze for its work on Twentieth Century Fox's 'Night at the Museum' DVD launch, which included a 6ft freestanding T-Rex.

Mark Fletcher, managing director at Pointer said: "We're extremely proud to have received these accolades from POPAI. We work hard on all our campaigns, so to be recognised for our excellence and innovation is very rewarding, particularly as the quality of the competition was so high this year."

Mark Shaw, CEO of the bezier group added: "To receive four awards is an outstanding achievement and testament to our strength as an integrated group. We now have more technical and creative capability than ever before, and the quality of these campaigns truly illustrates the results we are capable of."

The awards ceremony was held on 23rd October at the Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, in London.
bezier team up with universal music to bring take that beautiful world offer to M&SIn-store marketing agency has produced 200 in-store units for Universal Music to promote the special edition of Take That’s ‘Beautiful World’ Limited Edition Tour CD and Bonus DVD. The unit will be seen in M&S alongside its Autograph range, which the band is currently promoting.

Ian Carnazza, managing director at bezier said:

"We're very pleased to be working with Universal Music on this promotion. This new in-store campaign will highlight the release of the band’s limited tour souvenir CD and bonus DVD, and hopefully encourage impulse and association-led buying at the point of purchase."

bezier will produce 200 units for Universal, each with 6 pockets capable of holding 30 CD’s. They will appear in selected Marks and Spencer stores from 12 November.
Retailers need to refocus for summer 2008England’s Failure To Qualify Means New Challenges, Says bezier

Marketing plans for some of the UK’s leading retailers will be under review today, following England’s failure to qualify for next year’s European Championships, according to retail marketing agency bezier.

It wasn’t only football fans that put their heads in their hands when England lost to Croatia last night - a football tournament on the doorstep that doesn’t involve our home nation will leave a huge hole in potential revenue streams.

Before last year’s World Cup the British Retail Consortium estimated a minimum related consumer spend of £720 million, with a further £125 million on food and drink for every extra week England remained in the tournament.

While exact post-tournament figures are difficult to gauge, the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated it boosted the UK economy by more then £1 billion, with bookies, brewers, supermarkets and sports clothes manufacturers specifically benefitting.

So with many England fans now planning holidays – or even weddings – instead of a three week festival of football, many retailers are being forced to rethink their marketing strategy for summer 2008.

Mark Shaw, chief executive of the bezier group, said: “When it comes to football tournaments there is literally everything to play for. We know, from talking to our clients in recent weeks, how crucial this qualification was, not only for the retailers themselves but for the marketing industry. Marketing spend will almost certainly be affected.

“Now that England are not going to be involved, the tournament will have only a fraction of the appeal in this country and therefore marketing activity is going to have to work a lot harder in order to reap similar rewards.

“Major sporting events typically provide a great boost for a range of retailers - food and drink, home entertainment, electrical equipment and much more.

“Drinks brands and retailers would have focussed their offers, advertising, on-pack promotions and in-store activity heavily on the tournament – and that will now have to be revisited. In fact some brands – especially those who are official sponsors - had already rolled out some of their World Cup offers to the trade before last night’s game and while they will no doubt still run with them the rest of their summer campaigns will be under review.

“For us, working with clients such as Coca-Cola, Euro 2008 would have provided a wealth of opportunities for hard hitting point of purchase campaigns and indeed for wider through-the-line marketing activity.”

“Perhaps the saving grace may be that while Euro 2008 will no longer be a key driver for marketing campaigns the Beijing Olympics takes place just a couple of months later.”
Argos trial ‘virtual reality’ in-store planningRetailer uses virtual environments to aid look and feel of seasonal campaigns.

High street powerhouse Argos is using virtual stores developed by leading in-store marketing company bezier to help plan its tactical and seasonal campaigns within the retail environment.

The technology allows in-store marketing and merchandising teams to view different areas of a store with mocked-up POS, signage and layouts in order to maximise the customer’s experience as they enter an Argos store.

Karen Gray, store design and display manager at Argos said: “This new method of trialling in-store campaigns is fantastic, and has revolutionised the way we approach planning our promotions. Whereas the old method of testing might involve a lengthy procedure of designing, printing and physically putting a potential set of POS out in-store, this new method allows us to look at what the finished setup will look like, without the time and cost associated with the older method. Not only is it cost saving in terms of physical output, but it omits the necessity for store visits from senior executives, which can often be a drain on time and resources.”

“Additional benefits include that existing POS can be replaced with updated designs, and completely new pieces of POS can be put into the virtual environment alongside these, allowing us to consider brand new possibilities. The stores are shot from a fixed point, and every angle of the store available to view from this point can then be mocked up with different campaign ideas, including looking at the spacing of the hanging signs, and in particular the order of messaging a customer will encounter as they enter a store.”

Martin Fawcett, creative director at bezier’s creative shopper agency, bluetouch, added: “Although VR is certainly not a new technology, we believe we are one of the first agencies to employ its benefits in this way. VR has traditionally been used by architects to help design and develop public spaces, – however, we are taking this one step further by providing this service, twinned with possibilities of how an environment could look. By moving different elements of the in-store environment around within the virtual store, we advise our clients on what designs and messaging would provide the best customer experience. A further advantage is that we can plan for store layout problems by creating designs that are easier to implement, therefore improving compliance.”

In addition to these benefits, the VR method of testing can also help brands and retailers reduce their carbon footprint, with less call for the use of physical materials and production.
bezier toasts new two year contract with direct winesbezier, the leading in-store marketing agency has retained it’s multi-million pound contract with Direct Wines Limited. The contract has been extended until the end of August 2009 and will be handled by the agency’s southern division in Poole.

Direct Wines Limited is the world’s largest independent wine specialist, running both Laithwaites and Sunday Times Wine Club. bezier produces 17 campaigns a year for Direct Wines, with each campaign consisting of more than three million items, which vary from 2pp A5 leaflets to 16pp wine lists. In addition to the central contract a number of additional projects and campaigns are delivered.

The renewed contract has been given an additional boost with bezier securing the Nectar Wine Club campaign. This is a brand new area of business, which will see Direct Wines developing a large scale, specialist wine club for Nectar card holders.

Susan Steyn, the business unit director at bezier in Poole, commented:

“Direct Wines is an account that has been at the heart of bezier in Poole for the past ten years and so retaining the contract is fantastic for everyone who works on or supports the account. The Direct Wines account is an area of the business that differs from bezier’s other in-store accounts as it focuses on the agency’s direct mail capabilities but nevertheless we deliver the work at the same high standard, which our clients have come to know and expect.”

Laura Hall, production manager at Direct Wines Limited, said; "bezier have continued to provide us with a genuinely forward-thinking approach to our needs, in both traditional and digital print media. They also score very, very highly for reliability, flexibility and end-to-end customer service."
bezier short listed for two business excellence awardsbezier, the leading in-store marketing agency has been short listed for two prestigious business awards.

The agency, which employs more than 1,000 people across the UK, has been recognised in two categories in the National Business Awards.

In the 3i Growth Strategy of the Year Award, bezier has been nominated for achieving outstanding levels of sales, profit and market share improvement.

The company has also been short listed in the Cable & Wireless Award for Customer Focus. The award is for demonstrating that bezier has the customer at the heart of its business and deploys and manages its resources to most effectively meet the needs of its customer base.

Mark Shaw, chief executive for the bezier group, commented: “In the last three years, we have tripled the size of our business whilst still retaining our core values. We are extremely proud of the work we do and these nominations prove that we are at the top of the industry.”

The winners will be announced on the 13th November at a gala dinner hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald, at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

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