Aegis chief says he sees 'certain logic' of Havas partnership

LONDON - Robert Lerwill, chief executive of Aegis Group, has said in an interview that he can see a certain logic in a partnership with French midsized holding firm Havas.

Speaking with French newspaper Les Echos, Lerwill suggested a tie-up with Havas' media network MPG.

"Sometimes to get the best media conditions, it is necessary to pull offers together. But at the moment, nothing concrete is under study," he said.

At the same time, Lerwill said that Vincent Bollore, the French businessman who now owns more than 14% of Aegis' stock, had not asked him for seats on the board of Aegis. He said he had met with him three times since Bollore had begun buying up capital.

He also confirmed that WPP Group and Hellman & Friedman had expressed an interest, and predicted that the situation would be resolved in a matter of weeks rather than months.

"The British markets will not accept an uncertain situation for months," he said.

Yesterday, Bollore, who is also chairman of Havas, told French financial daily Agefi that Aegis could stay independent.

"Its CEO [Lerwill] told me that the company could develop without being integrated into one of the sector's global players. I share that analysis, which doesn't prevent us from being ready to definitively fix our position as soon as the [share] movements involving this company are known," he said.

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