France Telecom shortlists three UK consultancies

France Telecom, the world’s fourth biggest telecommunications group, has shortlisted three UK design consultancies and two overseas competitors to carry out a worldwide corporate identity redesign.

Minale Tattersfield Design Strategy, Landor Associates’ UK office and Lloyd Northover Citigate are competing for the prized job, after being selected from an initial shortlist of 15 groups. French groups Desgrippes and Saguez/Interbrand make up the shortlist.

Final presentations to the client are imminent, confirms a Landor spokeswoman. A France Telecom spokeswoman says an appointment is expected within a week.

France Telecom, which was privatised last year operates in more than 50 countries, and has an annual turnover of more than 15m. It has a number of subsidiaries and trading divisions, acquired during its expansion drive into new markets outside France.

The corporate identity project will aim to provide more coherence to the varied portfolio of companies, says a Minale Tattersfield spokeswoman.

US rival telecommunications company AT&T this week announced a number of job losses at its UK offices. The job losses are part of worldwide cutbacks to reduce overheads.