Five in Hunt for Carvel Account

Five agencies are contending for the creative and media business of Carvel, which is seeking to expand its supermarket and franchise-store presence nation wide, sources said.

Sources said those shops are TG Madison, Fricks/Firestone, Maxx com’s Fletcher Martin Ewing and Match, all in Atlanta; and Interpublic’s Suissa Miller in Los Angeles. A cut in the review is expected before Christmas, sources said, with a decision likely in January.

Incumbent Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners West in San Francisco, which picked up the business in the spring, is not defending, according to sources.

The client is running the review without a consultant, sources said.

Spending in 2001 is estimated at $2-3 million.