The Review of Biggest PR Pitches and Mergers & Acquisitions in UK PR in April 2025 with Andrew Bloch

Welcome to our review of PR pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in April 2025

Andrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.

Before we start, two pieces of good news at PRmoment this week. The first is that the programme for PR Masterclass: AI in PR is now complete. The PR Masterclass series are hybrid events so you can attend either in person or virtually. The event is on July 3rd and themes include:

• How to Integrate AI into your PR Workflow
• The impact of AI on Journalism
• AI as a content production tool
• Is LLM optimisation PR's biggest opportunity of our lifetimes?
• How will AI impact the agency business model?
• How to build and scaling AI-powered PR tools
• The legal implications of AI in your communications
• The intersection of PR and AI for in-house communicators
• How to move from AI experimentation to implementation

Check out the microsite PRMasterclasses.com for all the details including the speaker line-up.

The other vital bit of information is that The Creative Moment Awards are now open for entries. You can see all the categories for 2025 at the microsite creativemomentawards.co.

The early bird entry deadline is Friday 16th May.

Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.

Here’s a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:

Here is this month’s run down of the biggest PR pitch wins in April 2025:

“Brands are hiring for what agencies can do, they are less fussed about who the agency is.”

Here is a link to Ben Smith’s podcast with W’s Warren Johnson that was referred to in the show.

Toyota and Lexis GB appointed Hope&Glory - Another big win for the UK consumer independent PR firm, it's a strategy and creative development brief.

Heineken UK appointed  Blurred – Oversee corporate social impact strategy.

Tik Tok appointed  Ready10 – Consumer PR for TikTok and TikTok Shop amidst security and content moderation concerns.

Tesco appointed Pretty Green and Tin Man – New creative agency roster for consumer PR.

Russell Hobbs/Remington appointed B The Communications Agency – PR, influencer, and social media for a 3-year contract.

Dunelm appointed  Tin Man – Consumer and influencer PR to increase brand awareness.

Channel 4 appointed Mischief – Launching TV series, including Handmaid's Tale final series.

Plaidis Global appointed The Romans – UK savoury portfolio PR.

Aperol appointed Manifest – Global PR and influencer strategy.

Trip.com appointed Rooster – UK and European PR for online travel service provider.

Heathrow Express appointed Splendid – Retained PR agency following a project on language masterclasses.

Mountain Warehouse – Work and Class – Integrated communications account to inform customers globally.

Michael Page – Words+Pixels – Consumer and B2B PR to raise the profile of the global recruiter.

LNER – Brands2Life/Mischief/One Green Bean – Creative roster for the train operating company.

Sky News – Mu