The pitch, which also included St Luke's and Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO in the final stages, was handled by the Haystack Group and decided by Sainsbury's Bank chief executive Tim Pile along with marketing director Kate Nicholson. HHCL/Red Cell, McCann Erickson Manchester and WCRS were also in the running in the initial stages.
Sainsbury's Bank launched its car insurance in 2002 after agreeing a joint venture with .
The pitch comes amid a difficult time for J Sainsbury, which has seen profits slide. Earlier this month, the supermarket chain said it was slashing marketing costs by 拢40m over the next four years, and getting ride of hundreds of jobs at head office. AMV BBDO is the incumbent on the Sainsbury's supermarket account.
There was also talk that the supermarket group could pull out of loyalty card scheme Nectar.
Sainsbury's Bank opened in 1997 and is a joint venture between HBOS, which owns 45%, and Sainsbury's, which owns 55%. It offers a range of insurance, including car and health cover, savings, loans and credit cards.
Murray Chick, planning director of Walsh Trott Chick Smith, said: "We are delighted to be working with Sainsbury's Bank on its innvoative product and look forward to delivering strong work in the car insurance industry."
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