Drug Trading, operator of more than 400 Guardian, ida and Rx Central drug stores across Canada, will begin a review of its business once plans for its fall advertising campaign have been completed.
Previous agency, Johnston Wiltshire McDermott of Toronto, took the company by surprise last month when it declared bankruptcy and closed its doors after Drug Trading announced its intention to review.
Drug Trading, which last year spent about $3.4 million on media according to ACNielsen, accounted for the bulk of jwm’s business.
The company will also need a new media buyer. It is no longer working with Toronto-based Genesis Media, which has handled media buying since last fall when jwm selected the firm as its media partner.
Over the past year, Drug Trading has gone through a restructuring process.
The new management team includes Cathy Hennig, director of retail, who joined Drug Trading from rival Pharma Plus Drugmart last year.
Hennig expects to talk to a select group of agencies next month and hold a formal review process in October and November.
She wants to have a new agency in place no later than January.
Since the closure, Hennig says she has been scrambling to prepare the fall advertising program.
A number of marketing initiatives had already been planned for fall and Hennig says it is fortunate that Jeffrey Simbrow Associates of Toronto, an agency specializing in ethical and otc drug advertising, has been able to step in to complete the campaign.
Lily Wong, Simbrow account director, worked on the Drug Trading business when she was a principal in jw&r, the forerunner of jwm.
Simbrow is handling both creative and media.
