Martin Sorrell calls WPP ‘catatonic’ as Goldman slaps sell rating on its own client Media Sir Martin Sorrell spent 33 years turning WPP from a small Kent-based wire and plastics manufacturer into the world’s largest ad company. He left in 2018 following a dispute over personal conduct that he has consistently denied, and has been a vocal critic of his successors ever since. “I think they are further gone than [...]
S4 Capital cuts jobs as Sorrell predicts ‘fewer people’ in advertising Media S4 Capital has cut a further 150 jobs this year, amid warnings from Sir Martin Sorrell that AI will leave the advertising industry employing “fewer people” in the years ahead. The London-listed marketing group said its workforce has fallen to around 6,200, down from roughly 7,000 a year ago, as clients continue to rein in [...]
S4 Capital sales fall as tech clients divert cash to AI build-out Media Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital has been hit with sliding sales as its biggest clients spend less on advertising and more on building AI. The digital advertising group behind Monks reported revenue of £754.8m for 2025, down 11 per cent from £848.2m a year earlier. Net revenue fell 10.8 per cent to £673m, reflecting weaker [...]
S4 Capital shares surge as profit guidance improves January 26, 2026 Digital advertising company S4 Capital shares jumped in early morning trading after reporting that activity during the final quarter was ahead of its revised guidance. Shares surged 40.6 per cent to 27.2 pence as the company defied the challenging backdrop for advertising groups, but reported a fall in revenue. The company anticipates full year net [...]
Advertising giants’ share prices tumble as Big Tech swallows up ad spend November 24, 2025 The scale of the difficulties facing the advertising market was laid bare on Monday after two London-listed industry titans saw their share prices plummet after they slashed profit and sales expectations. M&C Saatchi’s share price tumbled a staggering 11.9 per cent to 111p, with shares down 36.9 per cent this year to date, while shares [...]
Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital confirms merger talks August 11, 2025 S4 Capital has confirmed it has received a proposal from MSQ Partners for a possible combination, following weekend media reports linking the London-listed digital advertising group to the US private equity-backed agency network. In a statement published on Monday, the company said the talks were “at a very preliminary stage” and stressed there was “no [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell: Clients ‘cautious’ as S4 Capital’s income tumbles May 8, 2025 S4 Capital, Sir Martin Sorrell’s advertising giant, recorded a sharp drop in revenue in its first-quarter trading update as geopolitical tensions weighed. The firm posted a 11.4 per cent slump in net revenue to £148.3m, which it said reflected the “continuing technology client caution” and headwinds from one “key client”. Takings from marketing services reduced [...]
Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital warns of tariff uncertainty March 24, 2025 Sir Martin Sorrell has warned S4 Capital will feel the weight of global macroeconomic volatility into 2025 as losses at the London-listed marketing group widened significantly. In a statement, Sorrell cited continued high interest rates and underperformance and warned of “uncertainty in global economic policy, particularly tariffs” into 2025. He added that geopolitical volatility stemming [...]
S4 Capital: Sir Martin Sorrell’s ad giant loses its CFO January 9, 2025 S4 Capital, the ad giant run by Sir Martin Sorrell, is set to lose its chief financial officer Mary Basterfield. Basterfield has been CFO of S4 Capital since January 2022, having previously worked as CFO of Warner Music Group and UKTV, as well as group finance director of Just Eat. She has a twelve month [...]
S4 Capital: Revenue down and debt up at Sir Martin Sorrell’s ad giant September 19, 2024 Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital’s post-pandemic struggles have carried through into its latest results, which revealed a sharp decline in revenue and ballooning debt. The London-listed media holding group, which ad guru Sorrell founded after a sudden exit from WPP in 2018, saw its net revenue reduce by 15.6 per cent from £445.5m to £375.1m [...]