Ipsos first-quarter revenue down 4.5%, currency fluctuations blamed

Measured on an organic basis, revenue was up 1.5% – in line with the performances recorded in the third and fourth quarters of 2013, the company said.

“This level of growth was expected at this stage and does not provide an indication of the likely performance of the company over the full year,” said Ipsos, noting that in 2013 it saw “a significant reduction in its revenue in the first quarter, before returning to growth, which though modest was tangible, from spring onwards”.

On a reported basis, EMEA revenue was down 1.2% to €165.7m, Americas revenue fell 7.2% to €124.7m, and Asia-Pacific declined 7.9% to €52.9m.

Globally, opinion and social research was the only business line to report revenue growth – albeit slim – at 0.3% to €35.4m. Media research revenue fell sharply by 15.1% to €30m (down 9% on an organic basis). Advertising research was down 6.2% to €55.7m, marketing research was down 3.4% to €177.9m, and customer and employee relationship management fell 2.6% to €44.3m.

Pictured is Ipsos CEO Didier Truchot. We reported on the company’s 2013 full-year results here.