CWS firms up its pack roster

The Chase is believed to be the lead consultancy on CWS Retail’s finalised packaging roster for its Co-op chain.

The supermarket chain – the UK’s fifth largest food retailer – declines to list the groups on its new, formalised roster.

But Aaron Associates is also believed to be on the new roster. Aaron has been carrying out much of the Co-op’s packaging work since it bought CWS’s sizeable in-house design department in January 1995.

Other groups on the roster are thought to include Coleman Design, The Point and Design Unlimited. A CWS spokeswoman says “about a dozen or so design and artwork groups” have been appointed to work with the retailer. Most of the design groups are based in or near CWS’s

head offices in Manchester.

A CWS spokeswoman confirms that design consultancy selection group EDR was involved in setting up a formalised roster, but declines to comment further.