The French headquartered holding company’s organic revenues were weighed down by a 6.6 per cent decline in the US.
Its net revenues increased by 2.5 per cent to €2.74 billion ($4.67 billion), but when the impacts of currency exchanges and M&A activity were stripped, organic revenues dropped by 0.8 per cent. A year ago it grew organic revenue by 3.3 per cent.
Havas posted earnings (EBIDT) growth of 1.6 per cent.
The holding company expects its revenues to grow organically by more than 2 per cent in 2025.
By region, Asia Pacific and Africa grew by 1.1 per cent, Europe grew by 1.2 per cent and its top performing region, Latin America, increased revenues by 14.7 cent.
North America, which accounts for 34 per cent of net revenue, declined b 6.6 per cent, partly due to the loss of Pfizer as a client.
In Australia, Havas acquired Hot Glue and mad a number of strategic acquisitions across the world (see below).
“2024 was a historic year of financial performance and transformation for Havas, marking its successful listing on Euronext Amsterdam and the launch of its Converged global strategy,” Havas global CEO and chair Yannick Bolloré said.
“Today, Havas is in a very strong position to deliver on its growth objectives and create long-term value, as it reaffirms its status as the strongest challenger in the communications and marketing industry.
“Havas has fully achieved its guidance for 2024, demonstrating strong agility. We are committed to driving profitable growth, seizing opportunities in rapidly expanding sectors like digital, retail, customer experience, design and strategic advisory, while increasing our investments in data, tech, and AI, and strengthening our global content-at-scale network.”
