Although a foregone conclusion, the sale of Bcom3 Group to Paris-headquartered Publicis Groupe became a legal fait accompli on Wednesday after receiving formal ratification from 95% of Bcom3 shareholders last week.
The inked deal, reputedly worth around $3 billion (€3.06bn; £1.93bn) creates the planet’s number four agency holding company boasting combined revenues of $4.9bn.
It unites Bcom3’s Leo Burnett and D’Arcy global networks with Publicis’ Saatchi & Saatchi and Fallon. Media agencies Starcom, MediaVest, Zenith and Optimedia are likewise conjoined.
Publicis ceo Maurice Levy retains that position within the combined group ceo while his opposite number at Bcom3 Roger Haupt becomes president and chief operating officer.
Data sourced from: AdWeek.com; additional content by WARC staff
