JCDecaux UK rebounds to pre-Covid level with double-digit growth
JCDecaux’s UK business surpassed 2019 revenue levels, with a record Q4 for the company.
While all markets recorded positive organic growth, the UK posted organic growth of 12.5% — one of three to record double-digit growth. Full-year adjusted revenue totalled €355.7m.
This was driven by double-digit year-on-year growth in the street furniture and transport segments, as well as “significant” billboard revenue growth, with the UK being one of “the most digitised markets”.
Dallas Wiles, Co-CEO of JCDecaux UK, told The Media Leader: “It’s been a great year for OOH, with a record Q4 and return to 2019 levels for JCDecaux UK, thanks to the increasing digitisation of OOH, the new digital capabilities including programmatic and the return of transport audiences.
“When you look at Route figures that show digital OOH [DOOH] delivers 5bn impressions a week, it’s clear that OOH is the big-reach medium that brands need as linear TV continues to decline.”
Wiles highlighted 2023 UK OOH campaigns including Uber across nine rail hubs, Coca-Cola using “game-changing new OOH tech” on retail, roadside and rail, and Expedia’s “big-brand storytelling” at Heathrow airport.
He added: “DOOH is driving growth in OOH and programmatic is bringing new opportunities for brands facilitating omnichannel campaigns across all our environments. Our focus remains very much on cities — audiences are back and 83% of the UK population visit one of the top cities every month.”
Global performance
The group as a whole reported 2023 adjusted revenue was up 8.7% on an organic basis to €3.57bn, driven by digital, the continued growth of street furniture and “the ongoing recovery” of transport activities.
Organic adjusted Q4 revenue was up 10.3% to €1.13bn, its highest-ever quarterly revenue, attributed to “higher-than-expected digital revenue growth” and a rebound to pre-Covid-19 revenue levels for its transport business.
Growth in DOOH and programmatic advertising revenues were called out by co-CEO Jean-François Decaux in a statement.
JCDecaux’s business is divided into street furniture, transport (including airports) and billboards, all of which recorded positive organic growth for Q4 as well as the full year.
In Q4, organic growth was at 6.7% for street furniture, 20% for transport and 1.3% for billboards. In 2023 as a whole, this was 5.1%, 18.4% and 0.7% respectively.
