"We have had bad luck"

The Berlin branch of WHS is on the verge of bankruptcy.Due to the insolvency of serviced dotcom customers (Vivity, MyMedia, Yoolia), the branch, which opened two years ago, had to accept the loss of several million DM in budget volume and reduce its workforce from twenty to five employees. Five to seven members of the terminated Berlin crew will be hired by WHS Zurich. "We were unlucky and overestimated the growth," says Reini Weber. The WHS boss is already planning to rebuild: he is negotiating a partnership with an independent Berlin agency. The name of the agency, "which functions in a relatively networked and integrated way," says Weber, was not known by press time. Weber would not say anything about his future involvement.
His capacity is currently needed in Zurich: "Twelve presentations for Swiss and German mandates are lined up this month," says the two-time Advertiser of the Year, who plans to resume creative direction of the Zurich head office for the time being. Weber will be supported by his long-time business partner Yvonne Hodel, who has been interim head of the agency on the lake since he left for Berlin in summer 2000. (ew)