Lerwill Sees Logic To Havas/Aegis Partnership

Robert Lerwill, chief executive officer of Aegis, has spoken out about recent industry speculation over a possible take-over bid for the media and communications company, saying there is a “certain logic” to a partnership in media with Havas.

Over recent weeks French entrepreneur and Havas chief executive, Vincent Bollore, has been increasing his stake in Aegis, raising it from 9% to 14.06% (see Bollore Set To Increase Aegis Share Further).

In an interview with French newspaper Les Echos, Lerwill said: “There is a certain logic to a partnership with Havas and its MPG subsidiary, but for the moment no concrete project is being studied.”

When asked by the paper if he would prefer to see Aegis remain independent or be taken over by a larger company, Lewill responded: “We believe our strategy will be profitably creating value for our shareholders. But if someone comes and makes an offer, our board and our shareholders will decide in function of what is best for them.”

Commenting on rumours of WPP’s interest in Aegis, Lerwill said that they seemed “well-informed”, but made no further comment (see Bollore Raises Stakes As WPP Shows Interest In Aegis).

Havas’s rival Publicis is also interested in Aegis, confirming last month that it had held “preliminary conversations” about a possible offer for the company (see Publicis Confirms Aegis Bid Rumours).

Aegis Group: 020 7070 7700 www.aegisplc.com