• Adweek, Wednesday, April 22, 2009 9:31 AM

Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett is launching a retail marketing practice in Western Europe under the Arc brand. Headquarters will be in Paris. Executives for the new office are presenting capabilities to Petit Navire, Kellogg and Procter & Gamble, but no clients have signed up yet.

"Our shopper marketing experience continues to evolve alongside clients that pioneered the discipline, such as P&G, Kellogg, McDonald's and Coca-Cola," says Nina Monahan, retail managing director of the new practice. Monahan was recruited from Arc's North American operations, as was Lynda Olesen, retail strategic planning director.

Jean-Paul Brunier, CEO of Leo Burnett Belgium and France, says he sought talent from America and Canada because "we believe that strategic thinking and creativity have the power to transform human behavior, which is of the utmost interest to both brands and retailers."

Read the whole story at Adweek »