Green invests £3m in BHS campaign to challenge M&S

LONDON – BHS and Arcadia boss Philip Green has unveiled a £3m 'Feel BHS' TV advertising campaign to take on rival Marks & Spencer's 'Your M&S' campaign in October.

The ads mark the first BHS advertising for 10 years, which Green is hoping will boost profits by £23m in the run-up to Christmas.

The TV spot, created by HHCL/Red Cell, is still under development, but will be aimed at a fashionable mid-market audience with an emphasis on snuggly, warm clothes to fit in with the "Feel BHS" strapline.

The ads will roll out in October to coincide with the release of Marks & Spencer's "Your M&S" campaign. Last week, Green revealed a new Dorothy Perkins TV ad campaign, which will target the middle-age range M&S consumer.

Green's presentation to managers and the media came as a further blow to M&S, with its chief creative director Yasmin Yusuf announcing she was leaving the company.

Yusuf, who was behind the lucrative Limited Edition range of clothing, is said to be leaving to start her own clothing range.

She is the fourth clothing head to leave the ailing company this year, along with former Selfridges chief executive Vittorio Radice, Steve Longdon and David Norgrove.

M&S's woes have been further compounded by the news that supermarket giant Asda has edged ahead of it in clothing sales, although the high street retailer is still considered market leader in value terms.

Earlier this year, M&S chief executive Stuart Rose turned down a £9.1bn bid from Green to buy the retail chain. A war between the two retail tycoons has been waging since then, with the 2004 Christmas period proving the next battle to be won.

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