Billboard grows as JCDecaux notes slow start

JCDecaux's UK billboard business is becoming increasingly profitable according to the company's worldwide financial results statement.

The statement, which does not break out UK-specific results, says the company's UK billboard arm posted double digit growth in operating margin last year.


Operating margin, more commonly termed profit margin, is a measurement of what proportion of a company's revenue is left over after paying for variable costs of production, such as wages and raw materials. The figure gives analysts an idea of how much a company makes, before interest and taxes, on each pound of sales.

However, unveiling its outlook for 2008, the company says that revenue growth could be impacted by what it labels a "slow start" in France and the UK so far this year.

Worldwide, JCDecaux's revenues topped €2bn (£1.5bn) in 2007, up 8.2% from 2006. Excluding acquisitions and the impact of foreign exchange, the company's organic revenue growth stood at 8.8%.