Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP saw UK growth slow in the third quarter while global net sales rose 3.3% to £2.5bn.
The world’s largest marketing services group, which reported a slowdown in the second quarter, saw global business pick up in the third quarter with like-for-like net sales rising to 3.3% in the third quarter.
The company said that it was “characteristically cautious” about closing out the year but expected to beat its growth rate for the nine months trading so far this year.
“In the final months of 2015, our prime focus will remain on growing revenue and net sales faster than the industry average,” said the company.
WPP reports revenues as well as a more stringently measured net sales figure, which its rivals do not.
WPP’s revenues grew 4.6% on a like-for-like basis in the third quarter, compared with Omnicom at 6.1%, Interpublic at 7.1% and struggling Publicis at 0.7%
In North America WPP’s growth remained strong with revenue up 6.8% on a like-for -like basis to £1bn. Similarly western continental Europe performed well with revenue growth up 6.1% to £552m.
The UK saw revenue growth slow to 1.1%, hitting £435m, down on the 4% growth shown in the second quarter.
WPP said that business operations including media planning and buying and data, saw a “softening” which was “partly offset” by strong growth in its public relations and digital operations.
The data investment management business division saw revenues contract by 1% on a like-for-like basis in the third quarter.
WPP said it won $3bn of new business in the third quarter, and more than $5.1bn in the year to date, a “highly satisfactory” win rate in the “tsunami” of media reviews this year.
