Granada awards its Little Chef business to Clark and Taylor

The Granada group is returning its Little Chef account to London -

and into Clark and Taylor - as part of efforts to re-energise the

troubled roadside restaurant chain.

The switch ends the four-month tenure of the business by Manchester’s

Barrington Johnson Lorains.

It follows a decision by David Bradley, the Granada Road Services sales

and marketing director, to split the Little Chef and Travelodge brands,

which have a combined billing of pounds 3 million.

Barrington Johnson retains the Travelodge business, with media buying on

both accounts remaining at TMD Carat Manchester.

The move, made without a pitch, reunites Clark and Taylor with Bradley,

who was group marketing director for the Wickes DIY chain, an agency

client, before moving to Granada at the beginning of this year.

Bradley has the task of revitalising the 400-strong Little Chef chain,

described by Granada as ’tired and neglected’ when it acquired the

outlets as part of its takeover of the Forte group last year.

The chain has been accused of losing customers by failing to deliver

either value or service.

However, Granada sees Little Chef as an attractive proposition, mainly

because of the bulk buying opportunities it offers to the group through

its ownership of the contract catering company, Sutcliffe. Granada aims

to reverse the decline by merging Little Chef with its Happy Eater

outlets.

Simon Clark, the Clark and Taylor chief executive, declined to comment.

This article was first published on Campaign