HAVAS GROUP EXPANDS INTO ALGERIA WITH THE ACQUISITION OF GANFOOD AND HVS
Havas Group today announced it has acquired a 49% stake in two Algerian-based agencies: GANFOOD, a creative and consultancy agency and HVS, a media agency.
GANFOOD was created in 2003 by young Algerians with a passion for graphic design and creation in general. Starting as a graphic design agency, Ganfood has since become a 360° global communications agency. Its customer portfolio includes prestigious international and local brands such as Heineken, Peugeot, Sanofi, Lafarge, Société Générale, Toudja, etc.
HVS was founded in 2009 and has since become a major player in the Algerian media industry. The agency specializes in media consultancy and buying, using innovative tools for the local market to measure ROI and to make astute decisions for investment. HVS' customer portfolio also includes prestigious international and local brands including Lactalis, Emirates, Hygienix, LG, Mango, IFRI, JDE, etc.
GANFOOD will become Havas Creative Alger and HVS will become Havas Media Alger. Cherif Medjaoui (Managing Partner of GANFOOD) will be Managing Director in charge of Creation at Havas Creative Alger and Isma Tifous (Managing Partner of HVS) will be Managing Director of Havas Media Alger. Both agencies, presided by Pascal Allard who is also CEO Havas North Africa, will form the Havas Village Alger, which will rank in the Top 5 on the Algerian market.
Yannick Bolloré, CEO Havas Group declared: « Integrating GANFOOD and HVS into the Havas Village Alger is a milestone in the development of Havas Group in Africa. The alliance between a leading global communications group of French origins and two Algerian agencies such as GANFOOD and HVS will make for a successful and creative combination. To the new teams, welcome to Havas! »
Pascal Allard , CEO Havas North Africa and President of the Havas Village Alger: « These acquisitions are the outcome of a long process jointly led with our Algerian partners and they reflect our "To better together" philosophy at Havas. This is also about people who are passionate about our professions and eager to bring a new momentum to the Algerian market in view of the fantastic opportunities that the beautiful country of Algeria offers. »
« Our initial ambition was for GANFOOD to become a successful creative studio. However, the opportunities to be seized on the Algerian market made us realize that we could transform our passion into something much bigger. Joining the Havas Group opens up a whole new world to us! It is up to us to drive this union towards innovative strategies, brilliant creation with flawless execution! » added Chérif Medjaoui , Managing Partner in charge of Creation.
Isma Tifous , Managing Partner at Havas Media Alger said: « I believe that change is necessary to accomplish great things and that flexibility is key to drive and operate change. The acquisition of HVS by Havas is an excellent opportunity, a new journey that guarantees important development. My team and I are eager to seize such major change with passion, dedication and excitement to build great successes together! »
About Havas Group Havas is one of the world's largest global communications groups. Founded in 1835 in Paris, the Group employs 20,000 people in over 100 countries. Havas Group is committed to being the world's best company at creating meaningful connections between people and brands through creativity, media and innovation. Based on a client-centric model across media and creative, the Havas Group is the most integrated company in its sector. We operate with three business units (creative, media and healthcare & wellness) within our Havas Villages all over the world where teams share the same premises ensuring agility and a seamless experience for clients. #ToBetterTogether Further information about Havas Group is available on the company's website: www.havasgroup.com
About Ganfood Ganfood is a creative and advertising agency based in Algeria and founded in 2003 by a team of young Algerians passionate about Creation, Graphic design and Design. Activating at first in the fields of graphic arts, our know-how and our experience have constantly developed and we permanently explore new ways of doing things. Our agency chose the name Ganfood (hedgehog in Arab) for the friendly and familiar behavior of this little animal! Starting as a graphic design agency, Ganfood has become a 360° global communications agency.
About HVS Communication A media agency based in Algeria, HVS was founded in 2009. The agency specializes in media consultancy and media buying, using innovative tools for the local market to measure ROI and to make calculated decisions in media investment. From a start-up in the media industry, HVS has since become a key player in Algeria.
Contacts:
Lorella Gessa Chief Communications Officer, Havas Group +33 (0)1 58 47 90 36 lorella.gessa@havas.com @Lorella_Gessa
Delphine Maillet Director of Investor Relations, Havas Group +33 (0)1 58 47 92 42 delphine.maillet@havas.com
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