Havas reports 8% growth

Havas, the fifth largest marketing services group in the world, has reported 8% growth in the first half of the year due to strong performances across its business, particularly across digital, corporate communications, design and media.

It says that first half revenue rose by 3.6% to €755m (£595m) compared to the same period last year. Organic growth in the second quarter reached 8.4% building on growth of 7.4% in the first quarter. Euro RSCG, the advertising and communications group, grew by 6.6% over the period and Havas Media, including MPG, saw organic growth of 16.3%.

It adds that net new business “continued at a brisk pace” at €623m (£491m) in the second quarter following €510m (£402m) in the first three months of the year, bringing it up to €1.13bn (£890m) over the first half compared to €1.2bn (£883m) in the same period last year.

Fernando Rodes Vila (pictured), chief executive of Havas, says: “After record organic growth of 7.1% in 2007, Havas has sustained that trend in the first half of 2008. We are not preparing for a more fragile economic environment but our performance leaves us comfortable about our ability to react.”

The group adds that Europe was “in with the group as a whole”, with countries in southern Europe, including Portugal and Spain, posting growth in excess of 10%. It says that growth in Great Britain accelerated sharply in the second quarter, despite the depressed market, due to a strong performance across all of its agencies. North America also put in a strong performance with Euro RSCG posting double digital after its New York and Chicago agencies restructured to concentrate on digital.