Havas Distanced From Bollore/Aegis Rumours

Havas has distanced itself from chief executive Vincent Bollore’s comments surrounding a possible takeover of media group Aegis, clarifying that the French entrepreneur was speaking in his capacity as chief executive of Groupe Bollore, and not as head of Havas.

However, Havas refused to rule out its own approach for Aegis, stating only that Bollore’s comments should “not be taken as having any bearing on the question of whether or not Havas might participate at any time in any offer for Aegis in any capacity.”

Yesterday saw Bollore increase his holding in Aegis to 12.63%, further fanning the flames of speculation surrounding his intentions (see Bollore Raises Stakes As WPP Shows Interest In Aegis).

A bidding war for control of Aegis now looks inevitable, with the company confirming that is has held talks with “more than one” potential bidder, although refusing to reveal their names.

The flurry of interest in the firm casts doubt on Publicis’ chance of success in securing a swift purchase of Aegis, which owns and operates the Carat and Vizeum buying brands (see Aegis Confirms Rival Bids For Takeover).

Aegis Group: 020 7070 7700 www.aegisplc.com Havas: www.havas.com