Lovett commented: “I can confirm that McCann Erickson Communications House has formally ended its working relationship with Whitbread.

"I can also confirm that following a series of successful pitches the agency has secured new business with Lloyds Pharmacy, Barratt Homes and the Yorkshire Building Society, all of which more than replaces the business lost. However, given the current economic climate it has been prudent for the agency to make a number of redundancies to streamline and secure the strong position which has been built over the last year.”

A spokesperson for Whitbread said that the agency was now looking for a new agency: “McCann Erickson have supported our national restaurant brands Beefeater, Table Table, Taybarns and Brewers Fayre for the past couple of years and we can confirm that we are in the process of reviewing our creative agency.”