This Is Guernsey

By Gemma Hockey

Tom Robertshaw, left, and Ian Langlois, formerly directors of Wallace Barnaby, have joined with two other former staff to set up new agency LRCD.

A TEAM of former Wallace Barnaby Group PR and advertising staff has formed a new company.

Advertising and public relations agency LRCD is currently based at Dell Nursery, Le Foulon, having been set up by people who were made redundant last week.

Directors Ian Langlois, Tom Robertshaw, Andrew Carey and Jim Delbridge have all put money into the venture, hence the name LRCD.

With these four are a staff of five advertising and PR professionals.

‘Ian and I had tried to buy Wallace Barnaby some weeks ago and our then owners appeared keen at that time,’ said Mr Robertshaw. ‘Obviously it was disappointing that that did not happen and all the more shocking when we discovered that they wished to put the group into liquidation.

‘All that, though, is in the past and we are all very excited about the future.’

When the UK parent company put the local businesses into liquidation 29 people lost their jobs.

A week on, the principals of the new agency have already started work with clients that include Wave Telecom, Aurigny and Itex.

Creative director Mr Langlois said Wallace Barnaby’s chief problem was that the credit crunch had led to one of its biggest clients for whom the company bought media space and airtime in the UK reducing its spend.

‘The on-island advertising and media business, which is the focus of our new company, has always been very strong,’ he said.

‘It’s our intention to build on the good business relationships we have with our clients in Guernsey and to keep working hard for them.’

Heading the PR arm, Mr Carey said the initial response from business contacts had been very encouraging.

‘The shocking news of last week isn’t the end of things – just a very brief interruption,’ he said.

Article posted on 1st November, 2008 - 9.29am