Publicis CEO: Would Look At Microsoft's Razorfish If For Sale
23 July 2009 - 4:00PM
Dow Jones News
Publicis Groupe SA (PUB.FR) would look at Microsoft Corp.'s
(MSFT) digital advertising agency Razorfish if it were up for sale,
the French advertising group's Chief Executive, Maurice Levy, told
reporters in a briefing late Wednesday.
"If Razorfish were for sale, we would look at it...it is one of
those companies that would be nice to have," Levy said, adding that
at this point he wasn't aware that it was for sale.
According to press reports, Microsoft is looking to sell
Razorfish. Publicis, along with WPP PLC (WPP.LN), Omnicom Group
Inc. (OMC) and others, is said to be interested in the agency.
For an ad holding company, Razorfish is one of the last
remaining major digital agencies up for grabs and could provide a
way to boost digital revenue, a key focus for the industry as other
traditional advertising, such as print and TV, stagger.
Razorfish has 2,000 employees and generated about $400 million
in revenue in 2008.
"We have the cash...we can look at [acquisition] opportunities,"
Levy said. "But it's not a must-have and we won't do something
stupid."
The Paris-based group Thursday said it had EUR3.5 billion in
liquidity at the end of June. In June, the company placed OCEANE
convertible bonds for a total of EUR719 million, a move that raised
speculation it could be preparing for an acquisition spree.
In late June, Levy told Dow Jones Newswires that he had a "big
appetite" for acquisitions and that he would seize large
acquisition opportunities in digital and emerging markets if the
company found the right target.
Company Web site: www.publicisgroupe.com
-By Ruth Bender, Dow Jones Newswires; +33 1 40 17 17 40;
ruth.bender@dowjones.com