by Amy Golding, 04 August 2009, 8:30am

Nivea takes issue with Wan's Boots tie-up

LONDON - Skincare brand Nivea, which sponsors Channel 4 series Gok's Fashion Fix, has been riled by a 'brand issue', according to insiders, after it emerged that the show's host, Gok Wan, is to create a skincare range for high-street retailer Boots.

Boots' 'Gorgeous' range, which will feature products such as body scrubs and shower and hand creams, is expected to be available in time for Christmas.

An insider labelled the news of Wan's deal with Boots as a 'bombshell' for Beiersdorf-owned Nivea. He added that the brand was 'extremely disappointed' that Boots, which is the UK's main retailer of Nivea products, had teamed up with the celebrity without consulting it first.

Nivea has used its sponsorship of Gok's Fashion Fix to
promote its products for women. A campaign, created by Draftfcb, launched in April to run throughout the series; ads also run on Channel 4's on-demand portal 4oD.

A Boots UK spokeswoman said: 'We have been working with Gok Wan since the end of 2008 to develop the range.'

Nivea did not return calls.