HE already manages some of the most famous names in pop music. Now Simon Fuller is to add some of the biggest names in modelling to his long roster of clients.

Fuller’s company, 19 Entertainment, is set to announce a deal to acquire a majority stake in Storm, the model agency that acts for stars including Kate Moss, Lily Cole, Cindy Crawford, Carla Bruni and Emma Watson, the Harry Potter actress.

Fuller, the brains behind the Pop Idol television show, is expected to announce tomorrow the purchase of a 51% stake in Storm in a deal said to be worth “tens of millions of pounds”.

The purchase will consolidate 19’s position as one of the world’s leading artist management firms, straddling sport, music and fashion. It has valuable relationships with celebrities including David and Victoria Beckham, Claudia Schiffer, singers Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson, designer Roland Mouret and tennis star Andy Murray. It is said that Fuller, 49, has helped Murray craft his new, more mature image.

Fuller’s agency has been part of American company CKX since 2005, when the British impresario sold the business for a reported £100m. The former record company manager founded 19 in 1985, naming it after the hit record about the Vietnam war made by his first client, Paul Hardcastle.

Despite coming up with Pop Idol and its various international incarnations, including American Idol, and looking after stars such as Annie Lennox, Fuller arguably remains best known for creating the Spice Girls. He was also responsible for introducing David and Victoria Beckham, and helped to negotiate the former’s high-profile transfer to LA Galaxy.

A survey last year by Billboard, the music industry magazine, found that clients of Fuller had sold 116m records, making him the most successful British pop music manager of all time. According to The Sunday Times Rich List, Fuller’s career in showbusiness has seen him amass a fortune worth £300m.

The sale by Storm will make Sarah Doukas, its founder, and her brother Simon Chambers, who also runs the agency, into multi-millionaires. A source close to the talks said: “Simon sees fashion playing an increasing role in developing cultures over the world. Storm, with its heritage and clients, is a perfect fit for 19.”

Times Recommends

• ‘Lame duck’ fear for FSA as chief quits
• Storm over bailout of EU's most ailing economy
• Northern Rock to drop 100% savings guarantee