The consolidation review for the account was called late last year, shortly after Dairy Crest acquired the St Ivel spreads group.
John Ayling already handles the Dairy Crest account and it adds the St Ivel buying account to its business, which was previously handled by OMD UK. The St Ivel brand portfolio includes St Ivel Gold, Utterly Butterly and Vitalite.
Last year, John Ayling won the media planning and buying account for Yoplait Dairy Crest from Universal McCann. It covers brands including Petits Filous, Frubes, Yoplait Best There Is, Weight Watchers from Heinz and Yop. Dairy Crest is a co-owner of Yoplait Dairy Crest with Yoplait, which is owned by France's largest milk cooperative Sodiaal.
The media consolidation was being run at the same time as a pitch for the £10m advertising account, which has already seen two agencies drop out.
Last month, Clemmow Hornby Inge become the second agency to pull out of the Dairy Crest pitch leaving Grey Worldwide London, Bates UK and Mustoes to contest the business.
Clemmow Hornby Inge said it withdrew because it was "uncomfortable with the pitch process".
In December, incumbent Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO also pulled out of the shortlist for the centralised Dairy Crest account. AMV was replaced on the shortlist by Bates UK.
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