Sherway Gardens brings Extreme Group closer to Toronto

Original Article: http://www.marketingmag.ca/daily/20070719/account1.html

Upscale Toronto shopping centre Sherway Gardens has chosen Halifax-based Extreme Group as its new agency.

Sherway Gardens’ ownership group, Cadillac Fairview, made the selection over two competing agencies in a review that ended last week.

Paul LeBlanc, CEO of the Extreme Group, says his team will be responsible for developing marketing initiatives to support Sherway Gardens’ planned expansion in 2008, and to further communicate the centre’s identity as an up-market shopping destination. Sherway Gardens houses retailers such as Holt Renfrew, Abercrombie & Fitch and Lacoste.

“This one’s a bit interesting because there’s not that much to fix—their brand perceptions are great,” says LeBlanc. “We’ve just got to demonstrate that Sherway Gardens is one or two steps up from your usual shopping experience.”

LeBlanc says the account win moves his agency closer to its goal of expanding into Toronto. While Extreme currently has no Toronto office, the agency has hired Toronto account executive Andrew Kinnear to manage its local clients, which include the Agincourt Audi dealership.

“It’s definitely a sign of things to come, so we’re very happy,” says LeBlanc of the Sherway Gardens win. “With some of the other announcements we expect to make in the coming months, I think we’ll be looking for office space by the end of the summer.”

As for Sherway Gardens, LeBlanc says a new marketing campaign is likely to appear in the fall.

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