WPP reports 2.9% decline in India business in H1
WPP reported a 2.9% decline in its India business during the first half of 2026, attributing the slowdown to the timing of sporting events. India contributed to a 3.8% decline in the group’s Asia Pacific (APAC) business, alongside a 4.7% fall in Australia.
China, however, returned to growth during the period. The market recorded 2.6% growth in H1, with second-quarter revenue rising 15.6%, aided by timing-related factors. WPP said the gains in China partially offset declines in other APAC markets.
Globally, WPP reported revenue of £6.37 billion for the first half of 2026, down 4.4% year-on-year. Revenue less pass-through costs declined 5.6% to £4.75 billion. Operating profit stood at £398 million on a headline basis, while headline operating margin improved to 8.4% from 8.2% a year earlier.
Across regions, North America declined 6.5% in H1, EMEA was down 4.3%, and Latin America fell 1.2%, although the company said momentum improved in the second quarter. Within EMEA, the UK and Germany recorded smaller declines than in the previous quarter, while Spain and Italy returned to growth.
By client sector, healthcare and pharma was among the stronger-performing categories with 2.9% growth in H1, while automotive declined 1.3%. Consumer packaged goods (CPG), technology and digital services, telecom, media and entertainment, and financial services all recorded declines during the period.
Cindy Rose OBE, CEO of WPP, said: “I am encouraged by our first-half performance which is in line with our expectations. While legacy account losses continue to weigh, Q2 saw a further sequential improvement in LFL growth, highlighting the momentum we are building across the company and demonstrating that our strategy to become the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands is beginning to deliver.
“We are firmly on track with Phase 1 of our Elevate28 plan to stabilise the business. Our objective for the first half was to put in place the building blocks of the new organisational structure and this is now complete. We are successfully transitioning from a complex holding company to a single, integrated company – with four operating units across four regions, all underpinned by WPP Open, our agentic marketing platform, which enables and connects everything we do.
“Organic growth remains our North Star. While the turnaround of our financial performance will take time to fully flow through, our strong new business wins and improved client retention, as well as progress on cost savings and portfolio actions, demonstrate that we are building a simpler, more competitive and higher-performing WPP.”
Source: www.afaqs.com