Vincent Bollore takes his stake in Aegis over the 25% mark

by Jennifer Whitehead, Brand Republic 28-Nov-05, 08:40

LONDON - Vincent Bollore, the French businessman and chairman of Havas, has upped his stake in Aegis Group, bringing his shareholding to 25.05% and adding to speculation he will make a move on the company in the coming weeks.

Bollore acquired a further 735,223 shares in Aegis through holding company Financiere du Loch on Friday -- the same day it was confirmed that WPP Group and Hellman & Friedman would not be launching a bid for Aegis.

At the same time, the Takeover Panel declared that Bollore was not considered a concert party to WPP and Hellman & Friedman's bid, leaving him free to make an offer for Aegis.

News that he has bought more shares in Aegis has sparked renewed speculation that he plans to make a bid for the company and merge it with Havas.

Bollore started buying stock in Aegis in August. He has never specifically outlined his plans for the company, although in early October, when Publicis and WPP were still in the running for Aegis, he said that his investment was for the short term only.

Shares in Aegis were trading up by 3p this morning at 120.75p, a rise of 2.6% on Friday's close.

Analysts have speculated that Bollore will take his stake to just below 30% before making his intentions known.

Any move he makes is expected to come before mid December, when Havas is due to unveil a restructure plan.

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