Roxxoff backs off as watchdog forces name rethink

The Portman Group is claiming victory in its battle against RTD brand Roxxoff.

Plans to relaunch the product in Manchester were scuppered by a joint effort from the industry watchdog and Manchester police, who managed to convince the licensee of the Axm bar in Manchester not to host a launch party.

Now brand owner Roxxoff Ltd is considering renaming the drink Roxx after pressure from The Portman Group to bring it into line with its code of practice. The brand fell foul of the code for suggesting an association with sexual success when it was originally launched in June 2003.

Portman Group spokesman Jim Minton said: "This case shows that The Portman Group code works. We found that once they were made fully aware of the situation, the licensee of Axm bar and Barfunked - the brand's UK distributor - acted very constructively."

Darrell Butterworth, Manchester police's licensing inspector, said: "We told the licensee of the Axm bar that he had no legal obligation to pull out of the launch. But as he was unaware of the previous problems with Roxxoff he decided not to go ahead."

However, Chris Chaplin, press and marketing director for Barfunked, believes the situation is not completely resolved.

"Roxxoff Ltd is considering legal action against The Portman Group. It may well take a claim of restriction of trade to the European courts," he said.

"A recent YouGov survey found that of 5,000 people questioned, 87 per cent did not make the connection bet-ween Roxxoff and sexual success.

"The decision for the whole country has been made by five people on The Portman Group's complaints panel."