Research Helps Good Showing for WPP

WPP has reported strong revenue growth for 2005, with organic growth healthy. Overall revenue was up 25% to $9.8 billion and like-for-like revenue up 5.5%. The group's information, insight & consultancy revenues - which include MR agencies such as Millward Brown and Research International - rose more than 7% on a constant currency basis.

Among the main results, operating margin is up 1.0 points to 14.0%, and headline profits before tax up over 36% to $1,216.8m, with diluted headline earnings per share up 29% at 65.5 cents and the final dividend up 20% to 11.53 cents per share.

Overall margins for information, insight & consultancy companies improved by 1.1 margin points to over 10%. The group says strong performances were recorded by Millward Brown, BMRB International in the UK, KMR Group, Research International in many countries, Ziment in the US, IMRB in India and Lightspeed Research in the US and Asia, among others.

WPP said the results amounted to 'a very good year' and outlined three strategic priorities for the future as follows. 'In the short-term, having weathered the recession, to capitalise on the 2004 and 2005 up-turn; in the medium-term, to continue to successfully integrate acquired companies; and finally, in the long-term, to continue to develop its businesses in the faster-growing geographical areas of Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe and in the faster-growing functional areas of marketing services, particularly direct, internet, interactive and market research.'

WPP's group home page is at www.wpp.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.