Havas sees 1.5% growth in first quarter

Havas, owner of agencies including Euro RSCG, Arena BLM and Media Planning Group, has reported a sales growth of 1.5% for the first quarter of the year, reversing a drop of 8.4% last year.

David Jones
Havas group CEO David Jones

The agency network’s success was driven by increases in revenues across the world. Its Europe division saw revenues rise 0.5% during the period as trading remained difficult in Spain and in Eastern Europe. However, the UK industry was continuing to suffer with negative growth of -1.5%.

In the US market, revenues rose 5.2% on a like-for-like basis and in Latin America, growth reached 24.4%.

Revenues in the three months to March reached €329m (£289m), up from €325m (£286m) in the same period last year.

“The group’s key performance indicators are in line with expectations for Q1 2010,” Havas, which is led by group CEO David Jones (pictured) said in a statement.

Havas’s larger rival Publicis is due to publish first-quarter sales on Thursday.

The results come as the IPA/BBDO’s Bellwether survey reveals the ad industry is growing in confidence, with marketing budgets being revised upwards for the first time since 2007.