Barkers denies it is closing

Published on Friday 26 June 2009 21:48

ADVERTISING agency Barkers was last night forced to deny that it is set to go into administration amid fears over the future of its Scottish operations.

The agency is understood to be preparing to announce a major "downsizing" of its operations north of the Border.

Barkers, which has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, is set to issue an announcement next week over plans for the firm, which operates recruitment, advertising and PR divisions.

A spokesman for Barkers last night claimed that rival firms in Scotland were circulating "untrue rumours" about the demise of the firm. He refused to comment on whether both offices would remain open after the restructure, but admitted redundancies would be made.

The spokesman said: "Barkers is not in administration. The business is doing well. There has been downsizing in Scotland, but the business will not close."

He refused to confirm how many staff are employed by the company or how wide-ranging the cuts would be.

Phone calls to Barkers' offices in Scotland were unanswered – while a recorded message in the PR department said there were no staff in the office at present.

However, it was reported earlier yesterday that Barkers Social Marketing was one of 19 agencies to be appointed to a new NHS North-West roster.