PARIS: JCDecaux SA, becomes the largest outdoor advertising company in the world with revenues in 2010 of €2,350 million ($3,115 million). Based on its three divisions of Street Furniture, Transport and Billboard, JCDecaux operates 1,040,600 advertising panels in 56 countries. Commenting on JCDecaux reaching this milestone Saturday, Jean-Charles Decaux, Chairman of the Executive Board and Co-CEO, said: “We are extremely pleased and proud that in 2010 JCDecaux became the number 1 outdoor advertising company in the world with total revenues of €2,350 million ($3,115 million).” A leading player in the MENA region, JCDecaux has established a strong foothold in the UAE, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as Algeria since the company entered into the regional market in 2007. Just in the last few months, the company has seen major developments in these countries. In September 2010, JCDecaux extended its business in Algeria through the 5-year exclusive contract for the bus terminals in 3 major cities, including the capital Algiers. In October 2010, JCDecaux's subsidiary JCDecaux ATA was awarded a 10-year exclusive advertising contract for all 26 airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, providing one-stop-shop services for airport advertising across the country. Entering the Saudi Arabian market marked the 56th country in which JCDecaux has a presence worldwide. In December 2010, JCDecaux Dicon won a 10-year contract for the exclusive advertising concession at Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International (DWC). In January 2011, the company introduced the air-conditioned bus shelter in Doha, offering enhanced passenger comfort all year round. – AgenciesEarlier this month, q.media Decaux brought additional services to the city by launching Q Bike, the region's first-ever self-service bicycle scheme. – Agencies “It all started in 1964 when Jean-Claude Decaux, our founder and today the Chairman of JCDecaux's Supervisory Board, installed his first advertising bus shelters in Lyon driven by his vision of city beautification financed through advertising revenues at no cost to the municipalities and taxpayers. A new advertising medium was born and, since then, the JCDecaux team has successfully transformed a French local outdoor media company into one of the few global media owners, now in 56 countries around the world, for the benefit of all its stakeholders,” he said. In 1999, two years before the IPO of JCDecaux, an important milestone was achieved with the transforming acquisition of Avenir. Since then, JCDecaux has doubled its revenue primarily through organic growth in the two fastest growing outdoor segments - Street Furniture and Transport - and an increasing exposure to emerging markets. JCDecaux also grew through regional bolt on acquisitions, notably in China, UK, Austria and Germany. Today JCDecaux is number one in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, and number 4 in the US. __
