Nectar's parent company, Loyalty Management UK, awarded BEC the business without a pitch. The appointment is the final stage of a gradual phasing out of Nectar's three-year relationship with HTW after it handed its quarterly mailing task to customer magazine publisher Redwood in December.
Nectar is HTW's first major account loss since Martin Troughton, its former chief executive, left the agency last August to run the fellow WPP direct agency Red Cell Response. He is thought to have been key to the relationship.
HTW's last work for the rewards programme was the Nectar for Business scheme. Nectar's direct marketing spend has reduced drastically in the past three years. At launch it spent £25m, but in the past year it spent £2.6m, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Neither Richard Campbell, LMUK's marketing director, nor BEC could be reached.
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