Levy to meet with Bollore today to talk about Aegis

by Staff, Brand Republic 07-Oct-05, 10:25

PARIS - Vincent Bollore and Maurice Levy are due to meet today to have discussions about the future of the UK media company Aegis, which they are both interested in acquiring.

According to a report in The Independent, the meeting has been set up by a French financier, Alain Minc.

The pair are likely to discuss the future of Aegis and the reason that Vincent Bollore, CEO of Bollore Group, has been acquiring shares in the company. He presently owns 12.64% of Aegis, making him the company's biggest shareholder.

There is speculation that the possibility of a joint bid could be on the cards between Havas, the company of which Bollore is chairman and owner of 23% of its stock, and Publicis. However, this goes against a statement issued by Havas earlier this week, distancing itself from Bollore's comments about his Aegis investment, saying that they were made in his capacity as Bollore Group CEO.

If any deal were to be struck, the Frenchmen would face the possibility of bidding against WPP Group and venture capitalists Hellman & Friedman, which have teamed up to look at a possible bid for Aegis.

Bollore revealed yesterday that he had sold his stake in a French steel company, amid reports he could use the funds to buy more Aegis stock.

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