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Revision as of 21:48, 8 September 2011

WPP plc
Company typePublic limited company

LSEWPP NasdaqWPPGY
ISINJE00B8KF9B49 Edit this on Wikidata
IndustryCommunications services
Founded1985
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom (Head office)
Dublin, Republic of Ireland (Executive office)
Key people
Philip Lader (Chairman)
Martin Sorrell (Founder and CEO)
ProductsAdvertising
Branding & identity
Consumer insights
Design
Digital
Marketing
Market research
Media planning and buying
Public relations
Relationship marketing
Revenue£9.3 billion (2010)[1]
£1,228.7 million (2010)[1]
£730.8 million (2010)[2]
Number of employees
146,000 (2010)[3]
SubsidiariesGrey Global Group
Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide
Young & Rubicam
JWT
Hill & Knowlton
Burson-Marsteller
GroupM
Cohn & Wolfe
Websitewww.wpp.com

WPP plc (LSEWPP, NasdaqWPPGY) is a global media communications services company with its main management office in London, United Kingdom and its executive office in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.[4] It is the world's largest advertising group by revenues, and has over 2,400 offices in 107 countries.[3][5] It owns a number of advertising, public relations and market research networks, including Grey, Burson-Marsteller, Hill & Knowlton, JWT, Ogilvy Group, TNS and Young & Rubicam.[3]

Its primary listing is on the London Stock Exchange and it is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has a secondary listing on NASDAQ.

History

Wire and Plastic Products plc was founded in 1971 as a manufacturer of wire shopping baskets. In 1985 Martin Sorrell, searching for a listed company through which to build a worldwide marketing services company, bought a controlling stake of just under 30% at a cost of $676,000.[6] Sorrell had been the financial director for the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi from 1977 to 1985, managing its takeovers of companies in the US and the UK. The holding company was renamed WPP Group and in 1987 Sorrell became its chief executive.[6]

In 1987 the company acquired J. Walter Thompson (including JWT, Hill & Knowlton and MRB Group) for $566m.[6] The company was first listed on NASDAQ in 1988.[6] In 1989 it acquired Ogilvy Group for $864m[6] and in 1998 formed an alliance with Asatsu-DK Inc. of Japan.[6] In 2007 WPP Digital was created to develop the Group's digital capabilities. In October 2008, the company acquired market research firm TNS for £1.6 billion.[7]

Governance

The company is governed by a board of directors, whose current members include Colin Day, Esther Dyson, Orit Gadiesh, Ruigan Li, Philip Lader, Stanley Morten, Kōichirō Naganuma, Lubna Olayan, John Quelch, Mark Read, Paul Richardson, Jeffrey Rosen, Timothy Shriver, Martin Sorrell, Paul Spencer and Solomon Trujillo.[1]

Operations

WPP's advertising agency company holdings include the Grey Group, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, Young & Rubicam Brands, and JWT (formerly known as J. Walter Thompson Co.).

WPP's government lobbying and public relations company holdings including Hill & Knowlton, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, Burson-Marsteller, and Cohn & Wolfe (the last two being part of Young & Rubicam Brands)

WPP's media investment management company holdings are operated by GroupM and include Mindshare, MEC (formerly Mediaedge:cia, Maxus and MediaCom (originally part of Grey Group).

WPP's research insight and consulting companies, forming a separate umbrella group known as Kantar, comprise BMRB, Added Value, Kantar Video, Indian Market Research Bureau, Millward Brown, Management Ventures Inc., Research International and TNS.

Industrial division

During 1986 WPP became the parent company of Picquotware, a manufacturer of teapots and jugs, based in Northampton. In November 1987 a fire destroyed the Northampton factory and production was restarted at Burntwood in Staffordshire. On 25 November 2004 WPP closed the Burntwood factory and stopped manufacturing Picquotware: all assets were sold on 14 December 2004.[8]

Delfinware Domestic Wireware, established in 1963 and manufacturing kitchen and bathroom wire racks, is also a subsidiary of WPP Group.[9]

Subsidiaries

This is a list of WPP-related companies:

References

  1. ^ a b Annual Report & Accounts 2010 - Financial summary charts
  2. ^ Annual Report & Accounts 2010 - Earnings per share
  3. ^ a b c "WPP Fast Facts" (PDF). WPP plc. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  4. ^ "WPP moves HQ to Ireland in tax-cut bid". The Irish Independent. 30 September 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  5. ^ "UPDATE 3-U.S., traditional media boost WPP organic sales". Reuters. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Group history". WPP plc. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  7. ^ WPP 2008 Preliminary Results
  8. ^ Piquotware History
  9. ^ Delfinware website