A new corporate identity is to be assumed by Bass Group, the UK-headquartered former brewing and leisure services conglomerate.
The makeover is a contractual requirement following Bass' sale last year of its beer-making activities to focus on its hotel, soft drink and catering brands. Renamed Six Continents, the holding company has no plans to rebrand its existing properties – among them Holiday Inn and Inter-Continental hotels, All Bar One pubs and Britvic soft drinks.
The new name, notably less risible than other recent multinational rechristenings [eg, Accenture, Diageo, Verizon], was chosen from 10,000 entries submitted in a staff competition – rather than conjured at eye-watering cost by a branding consultancy. Says Bass chief executive Tim Clarke: “Six Continents is a name which emphasises the global spread of the company.”
Bass shareholders will vote on the name change and new identity at an extraordinary general meeting on July 20.
News source: BBC Online Business News (UK)
