Shares in WPP (WPP) rose 3 per cent this morning after The Sunday Times reported the advertising conglomerate has drawn takeover interest from French rival Havas (AMS:HAVAS) and private equity firms Apollo (US:APO) and KKR (US:KKR).
The newspaper said that Havas, which spun out of media giant Vivendi (FR:VIV) last year, is understood to have held talks about WPP. City sources also said Apollo and KKR had also taken a close look at the company鈥檚 assets.
One industry source suggested Havas could be eyeing WPP鈥檚 media buying arm, while another floated the idea that Havas or Vivendi might quietly build a sizeable stake and push for a board seat. Apollo was said to have weighed a bid late last year before walking away.
WPP鈥檚 shares have fallen 64 per cent over the past year. Its market capitalisation has plunged from a peak of 拢24bn in 2017 to just over 拢3bn, inevitably putting the group on opportunistic buyers鈥 radar.
The ad giant welcomed former Microsoft (US:MSFT) executive Cindy Rose as chief executive in September, replacing Mark Read. After another cut to its full-year growth guidance last month, the company said it had started a strategic review, with more details due early in the new year.




