LONDON — Frasers Group-owned sports retailer Sports Direct has appointed John Doe as its retained UK PR agency after a competitive pitch. The agency will now oversee press office, creative brand activations, influencer and ambassador relations. The incumbent was Pitch Marketing Group.

LONDON — Mars Petcare division Royal Canin (pictured) has appointed Tin Man to handle PR, social media and retail marketing after a competitive pitch. Tin Man will launch a creative brand campaign later this year. The trio of briefs mark Tin Man’s first tranche of work with Mars Petcare, which joins Versuni (Philips), Vodafone, Virgin Atlantic, Unilever, Mondelez, Barclays, Gumtree, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Plenty of Fish and Indeed on the agency’s client roster.

LONDON — Beam Suntory has appointed Stir PR to lead global consumer PR for its Laphroaig brand of Islay Scotch whisky after a competitive pitch. The agency will develop a global platform and toolkit for brand launches in 2024 across the UK, the US, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Laphroaig joins Chapel Down wine and Dunkin’ Donuts on Stir’s client roster.

LONDON — The PHA Group has been appointed by housing and homeless charity Shelter to drive awareness and support of their Winter Appeal to help those facing homelessness this Christmas. The partnership will drive brand awareness of the charity and support fundraising efforts. Activity including creative campaign activation and amplification, supporting the press office through consumer media relations, and influencer engagement.

LONDON — Boutique technology communications consultancy Duet London has been retained by Inshur, the global insurance provider to the on-demand economy. Inshur aims to make coverage fair and accessible for drivers, with partners including Uber and Amazon; the firm recently completed its latest funding round of $26million. The agency has already established the brand’s messaging for target audiences including business and technology media, as well as talking points and narratives. As well as a creative campaign strategy Duet London will also run the press office.

MANCHESTER — Dutch scale-up YoungOnes has appointed brand building marcomms agency Smoking Gun to manage its media relations as it launches in Manchester. The move marks YoungOnes’ first UK launch outside of London, where it landed in 2021. The platform connects freelancers with companies that have gaps in the workforce, including in retail, hospitality, events and logistics. Smoking Gun’s brief will focus on driving awareness and sign-ups among local businesses. The agency’s portfolio also includes retail tech brand Dee Set Group, as well as PG Tips, Interflora and the NHS.

LONDON — Consumer, technology and gaming specialist Ranieri Agency has been appointed by Seven Clean Seas, on a B2B2C PR and communications brief across the UK. Seven Clean Seas projects recover plastic pollution from the sea and generates employment in the world’s most plastic-polluted locations by working with businesses, governments, NGOs and consumers.

MANCHESTER — Brazen has been appointed by stationery giant Ryman after a competitive pitch. The agency will be responsible for PR, social media and influencer activations to support the business’ portfolio of 200+ stores and e-commerce site, with a focus on raising awareness of its breath of range and its in-store service offering. Brazen has already supported the brand throughout its peak ‘back to school’ period and is now working on its Christmas offering and CSR commitments.

LONDON — Premium heritage clothing and lifestyle brand Barbour has appointed performance brand agency Journey Further to support its growth in the UK, US, and European markets after a competitive pitch. The agency’s integrated programme includes creative strategy, media planning, SEO, content marketing and performance marketing, focusing on Barbour’s digital footprint and increasing brand awareness globally. The agency also recently added Silver Cross, River Island and PrettyLittleThing to its client roster, and maintains its relationships with long-standing retail clients Marks and Spencer, Liberty London and Oliver Bonas.

LONDON — Circle PR, founded by former talent and influencer PR advisor Lee Caulfield, has been appointed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts to engage celebrities and tier-one social media influencers to experience Fairmont properties worldwide. The agency operates across London, Dubai and soon Los Angeles with clients across the hospitality, luxury, lifestyle and events sectors, including talent and influencer marketing, press and media strategy and brand partnerships.

LONDON — High-growth start-ups and scale-ups specialist agency The Flywheelers and creative marketing agency Procreate London have been selected on a joint brief by global network provider, Global Cloud Xchange (GCX). Together, the agencies will provide brand, marketing and communications services, including digital marketing, social media, video and PR to boost awareness of GCX’s managed network services and subsea connectivity network, the world’s largest private submarine cable network. The team have already worked on GCX’s rebrand, after 3i Infrastructure bought the company for $512 million last year.

LONDON — Hotpod Yoga, which has “yoga pods” in 50 locations across eight countries, has appointed Dan Tunna Communications and Neon Brand Communications on a joint brief to increase awareness of the brand across the UK. Their remit includes strategy and amplification of new launches planned for the coming months. Dan Tunna has corporate and consumer communications experience across the sports sector, having worked for Sky Sports and WB Discovery. Neon Brand Communications was founded by former talkSPORT communications director, Amy Grantham and works with sport, health, beauty and wellness brands.