Rodney Fitch to extend BA brand

British Airways has taken on a design group to develop proposals for the launch of a chain of BA-branded restaurant/cafés, as part of a long-term project to strengthen and extend its brand.

The airline appointed London design group Rodney Fitch ten days ago to create a pilot concept, after a four-way credentials pitch against consultancies including Din Associates and Virgile & Stone. Both rival groups decline to comment.

Environmental and hospitality projects are also being considered in the brand-extension initiative, spearheaded by leisure consultant Grant Leisure Group, which conducted the pitch on BA’s behalf.

“We are examining a number of ways for BA to extend its brand. We are also looking to bring more things to BA’s London Eye site and could use it to trial new concepts,” says Grant Leisure IT director Simon Ody.

The British Airways London Eye is a 135m-high observation wheel due to open in December 1999 on the South Bank of the Thames. It was designed by David Marks Julia Barfield Architects.

Ody says the site is likely to contain a BA-branded café/restaurant created by Rodney Fitch.

“We are working on a feasibility study for the food and beverage outlet idea now, although it might not happen. But if the concept works, it may well roll out further,” adds Ody. He will give no more details.

Design group chairman Rodney Fitch says: “Grant Leisure is working with BA on a number of brand-extension projects – in very general terms, they would include the environment, food and beverages and hospitality-type projects. We will initially be exploring with Grant Leisure what extending the BA brand actually means.”