Grey adds the business to the existing Dairy Crest brands it holds, including Clover, Cathedral City cheese and the milk drink Frijj, giving a strong grip on the consolidated account.
Grey picks up the St Ivel brands, Utterly Butterly, Vitalite and St Ivel Gold, which had been handled by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.
The pitch was called following Dairy Crest's 拢86.5m acquisition of the Uniq-owned St Ivel business in October.
It was marred, however, by two agencies pulling out of the review process. First St Ivel incumbent AMV dropped out and was replaced on the shortlist by Bates UK. It was followed off the shortlist by Clemmow Hornby Inge.
Its withdrawal left Grey to fight it out against Bates UK and Mustoes. Clemmow Hornby Inge, which dropped out last month, said that it withdrew because it was "uncomfortable with the pitch process".
The pitch was overseen by Dairy Crest-St Ivel spreads marketing director Richard Tolley along with the former St Ivel's spreads marketing director Ceri Bennett, who took the number two marketing job in the combined company.
Earlier this month, Dairy Crest consolidated its 拢10m media planning and buying account into John Ayling & Associates. As with the creative pitch, it was the Diary Crest incumbent agency that triumphed. Aylings added the St Ivel buying account, previously been handled by OMD UK, to its existing Dairy Crest business.
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