MUR.L Regulatory News (MUR)

31 Mar 2006 13:23

Murgitroyd Group PLC31 March 2006 31 March 2006 Murgitroyd Group PLC Coats plc outsources administration of its Trade Marks to Murgitroyd The Board of Murgitroyd Group PLC ("Murgitroyd" or "the Group"), the EuropeanPatent and Trade Mark Attorneys, is delighted to announce that Coats plc("Coats") has decided to outsource the administration of its Trade Marks toMurgitroyd. Under the terms of the agreement Murgitroyd will take over functions of Coats'Intellectual Property ("IP") department which includes two Trade Mark Attorneysand two support staff with approximately 7,000 active Trade Mark files. A fixedfee will be paid per annum in addition to costs. After a short handover periodthree staff will transfer to Murgitroyd's Glasgow office in early June. Thefourth staff member, who is the existing head of the IP department, will assistthe integration process until his retirement at the end of June. Coats plc is a global leader in sewing, thread and needlecraft products withmore than 25,000 employees engaged in customer service, manufacturing anddistribution in 67 countries worldwide. Since 1755 Coats has established atradition of landmark innovations in products, colour technology andmanufacturing processes, many of which have become global industry standards. Commenting on the agreement, Ian Murgitroyd, Chairman of Murgitroyd, said: "We are delighted with Coats' decision to outsource the administration of itsTrade Marks to Murgitroyd which is an innovative extension of our clientservice. Coats is a market leader in its field and the sizeable Trade Markportfolio offers a great opportunity for the Group. We are excited at theprospect of working with Coats under this new arrangement and hope this willlead the way for other outsourcing projects of this nature." For further information please contact: Keith Young, Chief Executive, Murgitroyd Group PLC T: 07802 951 913Alasdair Robinson, Noble & Company T: 0131 225 9677Nadja Vetter/Emma Consett, Cardew Group T: 020 7930 0777 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange