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Harlow: set up Naked last year

Costa Coffee is believed to have switched its £1.5m brand strategy account from Rocket to Naked Communications.

It is understood that Costa had already made the decision to move before approaching John Harlow of Naked last month. The business has been handled by Rocket, a subsidiary of New PHD.

Harlow had already handled the Costa account while working for Rocket before leaving to set up Naked last year. It is understood that he will play a crucial part in driving ahead the future strategy of the company including its Visage brand.

Last year Costa, which owns one of the largest coffee bar chains in Europe, celebrated selling three million cups of coffee annually and opened coffee bars in Dubai and Germany. It has two coffee bars on the site of the London Wheel.

The Costa deal is the second big win for Naked in the past two weeks. Last week the company, formed when Harlow, Jon Wilkins and Will Collins left New PHD last year, chalked up the XY Network, a full-audio interactive internet and WAP service, to add to its growing business, now worth around £20m.