Ipsos Reports 6.2% Organic Revenue Growth

Ipsos has reported first quarter 2011 revenues up 9.8% to EUR 260.1m, from EUR 236.9m in the prior year period - equivalent to 6.2% organic growth.

Growth was spread unevenly across the group's three world regions: EMEA rose 1.5% to EUR 116.9m, Americas 9% to EUR 115.1m, and AsiaPac an impressive 19% to EUR 28.1m.

In Europe, the firm says it felt the effects of budget cuts in the British public sector 'with full force', following last May's election; and in Japan, which accounts for less than 2% of group revenues, it saw March revenue down by a half versus a normal month, following the earthquake.



Opinion and Social Research business was impacted by the decline in business volumes in the UK, although the firm says this should lessen and cost it only around 1.5 points of organic growth.

'Today, and with the standard caveat of assuming that the environment in which Ipsos operates is not further destabilised, we believe that we are in a position to confirm our targets for 2011 both in terms of organic growth - greater than that of the market as a whole, which is estimated to be over 5% - and operating margin, which we expect to beat the record level of 2010 and to be at least 11%,' Ipsos said in a statement.

Web site: www.ipsos.com .