Farepak brand to go up for sale

The administrators of failed hamper company Farepak aim to put its brands up for sale following the end of its administration process next year.

Farepak brand to go up for sale

BDO Stoy Hayward said it would review offers for the Farepak name when the process is complete in an estimated 12 months' time.

The situation is in stark contrast to failed voucher brand Choice. Its administrator, PricewaterhouseCoopers, tried to sue a company trading under the Choice name, but was rejected.

Farepak, which ran a Christmas savings club, went into administration in October 2006 leaving 150,000 consumers out of pocket over Christmas. Almost £40 million worth of claims were made against the company, with most people losing around £400 each. It is estimated that savers will only receive between four and five pence for every pound they saved.

The Government has since announced measures to protect future pre-payments in similar schemes. (See Vouchers and Gift Cards Manual 2007).

For Jasmine Montgomery, deputy managing director at brand strategy agency FutureBrand, buying the Farepak name would be a gamble.

"At this point in time the brand name would have no value and it would be difficult for it to recover from the current situation," she said.

"When you are a financial instrument and you spectacularly fail to give return on investment and lose savings, then your core proposition has been eroded," she added.

She added: "Trust and emotional investment is wrapped up in brands and it is hard to imagine the Farepak brand could secure these."

Topics

Market Reports

Get unprecedented new-business intelligence with access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s new Advertising Intelligence Market Reports.

Find out more

Enjoying ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s content?

 Get unlimited access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s premium content for your whole company with a corporate licence.

Upgrade access

Looking for a new job?

Get the latest creative jobs in advertising, media, marketing and digital delivered directly to your inbox each day.

Create an alert now

Partner content