WPP reported a 2.1% year-on-year decline in revenue less pass-through costs to £2.41 billion in the third quarter of 2026, on a like-for-like basis. The advertising group’s reported revenue, however, grew 0.5% to £3.27 billion during the quarter.
For the first nine months of 2026, revenue less pass-through costs declined 3.9% year-on-year on a like-for-like basis to £7.16 billion. Reported revenue for the period fell 2.8% to £9.65 billion.
Among its business units, WPP Media recorded 0.3% growth in revenue less pass-through costs in Q3, while WPP Production grew 2.5%. WPP Creative, including Enterprise Solutions, reported a 5.1% decline.
Regionally, North America recorded a 1.8% decline in revenue less pass-through costs, while EMEA fell 1.7%. APAC registered a 4.3% decline and Latin America reported a 1.2% fall.
India returned to growth during the quarter, with revenue less pass-through costs increasing 2.9%, following a 6% decline in Q2. China, in contrast, reported an 8.7% contraction, reversing the 15.6% growth recorded in the previous quarter.
WPP’s performance among its top 25 clients also showed improvement, with revenue less pass-through costs declining 2.7% in Q3 compared with a 3.2% fall in Q2.
Sector-wise, automotive grew 6.7%, while healthcare and pharmaceuticals increased 4.3%. Consumer packaged goods declined 6.4%, retail fell 6%, financial services contracted 8.9%, and telecom, media and entertainment recorded a 15.7% decline.
During the quarter, WPP secured several new client assignments and retained existing accounts. The group was named The Coca-Cola Company’s global media partner, excluding North America, Japan and South Korea, which were outside the review. Other wins included DoorDash, Nestlé, Uber and Waymo. WPP also secured digital video and social content work for TurboTax, media assignments for Godrej Consumer Products in select international markets, and voter communications work for the UK Electoral Commission.
WPP CEO Cindy Rose said the first phase of the group’s Elevate28 strategy remained on track. The strategy aims to stabilise the business in 2026, return it to organic growth in 2027 and accelerate growth from 2028 onwards.
