Member Article

Aberfield PR in the spotlight on ITV’s Tonight programme after client wins

ITV 1’s Tonight programme has enlisted expertise of Leeds-based PR agency Aberfield Communications in its latest documentary. ‘The Rise of Discount Supermarkets’, which airs on Friday 23 May at 8pm.

Aberfield and its director, Tim Downs, were approached to contribute because of the agency’s significant grocery and food & drink sector experience, which includes the likes of Asda, Nisa, Heinz, Kellogg’s, Diageo and Harrogate Spring Water.

ITV’s leading current affairs programme will focus on how German discount stores Aldi and Lidl are rapidly increasing their share of the UK’s £170 billion grocery market by attracting growing numbers of budget-conscious middle-class shoppers.

In the programme, presenter Jonathan Maitland investigates the reasons for the discounters’ success, putting the cut-price chains to the test. He will also reveal how the `Big Four’ - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons - are responding in the face of tough competition.

Tim Downs, who was interviewed for the programme, has worked with many retailers and high street brands.

He explained: “ITV approached us because of our significant experience in the grocery sector, which has given us a great deal of insight into what’s happening within the supermarkets.

“The grocery sector is going to be a battlefield over the coming years, and not an easy place to operate for the retailers or brands. I think that over the next couple of years we could very well see a major casualty among the supermarket chains.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .