WPP client wins help revenue decline slow October 29, 2020 Ad giant WPP reported another fall in sales in the third quarter but the pace of decline slowed from the previous quarter. The British owner of the Ogilvy, Grey and GroupM agencies said its like-for-like sales had dropped by 5.5 per cent to £2.97bn, compared with a 11.5 per cent drop in the previous quarter. [...]
Former Baidu president joins WPP board October 26, 2020 The former boss of Chinese search engine Baidu has joined the board of London-based advertising giant WPP, the company confirmed this morning. Ya-Qin Zhang, who was president of Baidu for five years starting in 2014, will formally take up the role as a non-executive director on WPP’s board early next year. Roberto Quarta, chairman of [...]
Kantar appoints former Heineken bigwig as new chief executive October 19, 2020 Market research giant Kantar has tapped a former Heineken boss as its new chief executive, marking the first major appointment by new owner Bain Capital. Alexis Nasard, who currently leads Swiss shoemaker Bata, will take over as chief executive on 30 December. He previously served as global chief marketing officer at Heineken and worked for [...]
Zoom has stolen a march on its rivals during the pandemic – here’s why September 16, 2020 Six months ago when most people did no more than toy with video conferencing platforms, it would have been hard to pick a winner from the available options. But now the market is dominated by one name: Zoom. Zoom’s business has grown 355 per cent year on year, topping even the most ambitious analyst estimates. [...]
FTSE 100 falls but US stocks rise as markets weigh up Fed changes August 28, 2020 The FTSE 100 dropped in afternoon trading but US stocks rose as investors digested the US Federal Reserve’s decision to take a more relaxed approach to inflation, a step that supported Wall Street stocks last night. London’s main stock index fell 0.4 per cent to 5,977 points. The FTSE 250 of mid-sized firms climbed 0.1 [...]
WPP to pay dividend even as ad revenues slump due to coronavirus August 27, 2020 Advertising giant WPP has said it will pay an interim dividend of 10 pence a share even as advertising revenues plunged due to coronavirus. The group said trading had improved in July, winning more business than rivals, suggesting the worst was over for the ad group. The figures WPP reported a 12.3 per cent drop [...]
Markets live: FTSE 100 up but US stocks down amid stimulus hopes July 28, 2020 The FTSE 100 rose but US stocks fell as coronavirus cases climbed around the world and Republicans and Democrats prepared to debate a new stimulus package amid new vaccine trials The UK’s main stock index was 0.3 per cent higher in afternoon trading at 6,120 points after briefly slipping into the red. The FTSE 250 [...]
There will be a V-shaped recovery in some sectors, says Sir Martin Sorrell July 3, 2020 Advertising mogul Sir Martin Sorrell has said that the coronavirus crisis has disrupted the status quo, and companies’ recovery will be dependent on sector. Speaking to City A.M.’s City View podcast, Martin Sorrell, who has previously spoken of a V-shaped recovery, said the pandemic has pushed services further online, at a consumer level and beyond. [...]
WPP appoints former Burberry chief June 11, 2020 Media giant WPP has appointed the former chief executive of Burberry and ex-head of retail at Apple to its board. Angela Ahrendts will become a non-executive board member at WPP after ending a five-year run as one of the most senior figures at Apple. Ahrendts led British fashion brand Burberry from 2006 to 2013, during [...]
S4 Capital acquires data analytics group in face of coronavirus May 26, 2020 The coronavirus crisis will not stop Martin Sorrell’s expansion plans, with his business S4 Capital today acquiring a data analytics group. Marketing guru Sorrell said: “Now is not the time to slow down, as we see Covid-19 accelerating digital transformation – at all levels, consumer, media and enterprise.” His comments came as S4 Capital today [...]