WPP has started a potential sales process for its PR division, which includes communications agency Burson, according to reports.
According to U.K.-based media outlet The Times, advisers at Goldman Sachs are “exploring strategic options for Burson” on behalf of the holding company WPP, which “could pave the way for an eventual sale of the communications agency."
When contacted by PRWeek UK, both WPP and Goldman Sachs declined to comment.
Rumours that WPP may look to sell Burson have circulated for several months. PRWeek analysed the likelihood in February, after the Financial Times raised the prospect as one option alongside an upcoming restructure of the holding company's trading divisions.
WPP later revealed that Burson would be housed with its ad agencies in the new WPP Creative division, as part of a multi-year strategic plan called Elevate28.
Globally, Burson struggled in its first year trading as a standalone agency, since it was formed from the merger of PR firms BCW and Hill & Knowlton in 2024. Like-for-like revenue in WPP’s PR division, which is dominated by Burson, fell 6% in 2025, although Burson saw a “moderately improving trend” in Q4. WPP said Burson “faced a challenging environment for client discretionary spending, in particular in Europe."
Any sale of Burson would have parallels to WPP selling its majority stake in corporate and financial comms giant FGS Global to KKR, the private equity group, at the end of 2024. The sale, which valued FGS at $1.7 billion, generated about $764 million in cash for the holding company after tax, with funds used to reduce debt. A similar injection would be welcome at WPP, whose debt at the end of 2025 stood at £3.4 billion ($4.6 billion).
News of a possible sale comes as London-based WPP contends with a long-term decline in its share price, which is around 251p at the time of writing, down from a 12-month high of 608p in May 2025. The price has lifted slightly in recent days, however, up from a low point of 225p last month.
In March, PRWeek’s sister publication, Campaign, reported that WPP plans to increase the potential pay and bonus package for its chief executive, Cindy Rose, to a maximum of £11.1 million ($14.9 million) a year, a significant increase over the amount that her predecessor, Mark Read, could earn.
Source: PRWeek UK
