LONDON— After a nine-month search for a new name, Bass Plc announced June 27 that it would seek shareholder approval to change its name to Six Continents. Bass already owns the name through its Six Continents Club worldwide loyalty program. It has passed rigorous legal and marketing checks and is registered around the world. Shareholders will be asked to approve the name Six Continents at a meeting on July 20. If the name is approved, it will go live on July 30. Julie Lalla-Maharajh, external communications manager at Bass here said the company is “quietly confident” the change will be approved by shareholders. “It made the most sense since we owned it in key markets- that meant it would be easier to secure globally, not to mention, cheaper,” said Lalla-Maharajh. She noted the name would likely come in at a lower cost than other names might have if starting from scratch. With an obvious global ring, the name was one Bass executives liked from the start, said Lalla-Maharajh. It was actually suggested by a Bass employee as part of an internal group competition. That employee will be receiving a pre-determined sum of money to be used toward a holiday/vacation anywhere in the world. Even though the Bass name is well known worldwide, it is closely tied to the brewing business, particularly in the United Kingdom. So while it has recognition and will be missed, Bass executives are excited to adopt a name that is more reflective of their business, said Lalla-Maharajh. “We are delighted to have this opportunity, to break away from our brewing heritage,” she said of the proposed name change. “We wanted a name that reflects our global spread.” A new symbol has been developed to reinforce the name in a manner that is intentionally clean and distinctive, said the company. If approved, the Bass name will be replaced on all hotel signage, stationary, etc. The company has not yet calculated implementation costs for the new name, however, a central budget is expected to be used to cover expenses related to the name change (which can be written off since the company is being forced to come up with a new identity as a result of the brewing business sale). Because the company has known for some time that it would be making a change, Lalla-Maharajh said Bass has been preparing by using up its stock of Bass stationary and other promotional goods, and in some cases, has even delayed deploying new signage on needy properties until the change is complete and signage with the new name can be applied. Lalla-Maharajh said many Bass shareholders “are relieved that the new name, Six Continents, is not a made up name.” The fact that it has some pre-existing connectivity to the company is expected to make the change slightly easier, she said. A new ticker symbol will also be used to identify the company on the stock exchange if the proposed change is approved July 20. Bass is an international leisure hospitality group operating in hotels, leisure retail and branded soft drinks.
