In a statement today, Havas said that a shareholder identification study taken on October 25 confirmed that Bollore holds the stock through various different companies. Before the €404m (£282.7m) capital increase, which diluted Bollore's stake, he owned 22% of Havas' shares.
He bought more shares in the rights issue, which brought his stake to a reduced 20%.
Bollore has not made clear his intentions for Havas now that he is the biggest single shareholder in the company, despite calls from Havas chief executive Alain de Pouzilhac to do so. What Bollore has done is asked for board representation with reports saying he has asked for two seats on the board.
While Bollore has a reputation as a corporate raider, buying companies on the cheap and then breaking them up to sell the pieces at a profit, it has been reported that insiders at his company, Bollore Group, have said that Havas is seen more as a medium- to long-term investment.
Bollore Group is an old, family-owned company, best known for its industrial interests, although it has recently started to build up a media arm.
It has also been linked to the possible acquistion of 'Big Brother' maker Endemol, which could be about to be sold off by its Spanish owners Telefonica for as much as £1.3bn.
Bollore Group's interests include shipping, logistics, fuel distribution and it also owns rubber and palm oil plantations. Its media businesses include the radio station Radio Nouveaux Talents, which began broadcasting in March this year, and it plans to launch a digital television station called Direct 8 next year.
Havas owns the advertising agency Euro RSCG and the Media Planning Group.
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