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(Sharecast News) - WPP slumped on Tuesday following a report the advertising agency is cutting up to 1,000 more jobs by the end of the year as it accelerates a restructuring programme under new boss Cindy Rose that will also offload non-core businesses and surplus properties.
The company has already cut about 11,000 jobs since the start of 2025, taking its overall headcount to 97,388 as of 30 June 2026, the Financial Times said. Citing people familiar with the plans, the FT said WPP is set to slash as many as 1,000 more jobs in the second half of the year.
It is also looking to reduce costs by slimming down its property portfolio, with those close to the talks saying its three separate buildings on the south side of the River Thames in London are likely to be reduced to two.
At least 18,000 jobs have been cut at agencies including Omnicom, Dentsu and WPP over the past 18 months, according to calculations by the FT, although there are likely to be more that have not yet been disclosed to the market.
The FT said WPP is also expected to sell non-core businesses as Rose looks to dramatically simplify the group's operations and improve its margins. The agency has forecast at least £200m in sales this year, which could be easily exceeded if it brings its PR agency Burson to the market, which could command a price in the high hundreds of millions of pounds.
Rose also told journalists at its results in August that WPP would consider the sale of its 40% stake in market research firm Kantar.
"We've identified a number of assets that we believe are great assets but do not need to be owned by WPP," Rose said at the time.
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