Rives Carlberg Is Grocer's Pick

Rives Carlberg has won the ad account of H-E-B Grocery Co.’s Houston division.

The Houston agency defeated crosstown rivals Bates Southwest and J. Walter Thompson in a review to win the store’s business, sources said.

Annual billings are undisclosed.

The Richards Group in Dallas, which handles advertising for the grocery chain’s outlets across the rest of Texas, did not participate in the review.

“They wanted a local agency, someone who can break the code and explain the Houston market,” said Rives Carlberg president and CEO Chuck Carlberg.

The agency will produce a television, radio, outdoor and in-store campaign for H-E-B’s 90-plus stores in the Houston area.