Havas Chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré has firmly rejected speculation that the French advertising group is in discussions with WPP about taking a stake in the British holding company—bringing an abrupt halt to a weekend of takeover chatter that had sent WPP’s shares soaring.
In an internal memo cited by Bloomberg and other outlets, Bolloré addressed the surge in questions from employees and clients following media reports that Havas, controlled by the Bolloré family via Vivendi, was exploring the purchase of a minority stake in WPP.
“Given the recent press coverage and the questions we’ve received from colleagues and clients, we want to clarify that we are not in discussions with WPP,” Bolloré wrote. He also reiterated Havas’ long-standing strategy of pursuing independent growth and targeted small- to mid-sized acquisitions, rather than large transformative deals.
Havas declined to comment beyond the memo.
The denial comes after The Times reported that WPP had attracted interest not only from Havas but also from private equity firms Apollo Global Management and KKR. The report triggered a sharp reaction in markets: WPP’s shares jumped more than 11% on Monday, although the stock remains down over 60% year-to-date and near 27-year lows. The company currently holds a market valuation of approximately £3 billion ($3.95 billion).
WPP, founded by Sir Martin Sorrell in 1985, has been under pressure after warning on profits last month following a deeper-than-expected drop in sales. New CEO Cindy Rose is steering an operational overhaul centred on simplifying the business and accelerating investments in data and AI.
Industry interest in Havas has grown amid a broader wave of consolidation sweeping the advertising sector. Omnicom’s planned $13.5 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group is set to reshape the global rankings later this year, while questions continue to swirl around Dentsu’s international assets and the future configuration of Omnicom’s creative networks.
Bolloré’s memo also underlined Havas’ commitment to its Converged.AI strategy, which embeds artificial intelligence across the company’s creative, media, and PR operations. Recent acquisitions under this approach include Australian media agency Hotglue and Singapore-based communications consultancy Klareco.
For now, despite market speculation and renewed investor interest, Havas has made its position unambiguous: it is not in talks with WPP. With that clarity, the latest round of takeover rumours appears to have been decisively put to rest—at least for the moment.
