The Company’s primary business consists in managing its investments and providing services to Groupe companies.
Additionally, and to a lesser extent, the Company receives rental income from leasing the building it owns in Paris, at 133 avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Publicis Groupe SA preventatively drew its euro 2 billion (USD 2.2 billion) revolving credit line in response to any potential short-term impact of the global pandemic on its activities: for a three-month period beginning on March 20 for the whole line, then a three-month period beginning on June 20 for only half of this amount, i.e. USD 1.1 billion. As of December 31, 2020, the credit line had been repaid in full.
The subsidiary of Publicis Groupe SA, MMS Multi Market Services Ireland, repaid the two loans of respectively USD 869,050,000 and USD 741,270,000 that had been granted to it as part of the Sapient acquisition and the corresponding cross-currency swaps were unwound. A new loan was granted for an amount of euro 1.3 billion.
The parent company financial statements for the 2020 financial year have been prepared in accordance with the French Chart of Accounts (Plan Comptable Général) and in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory texts in France.
The valuation methods used to prepare the 2020 financial statements are unchanged from those used to prepare the financial statements for the previous financial year.
Intangible assets subject to amortization consist of the concession of parking spaces, amortized over 75 years (length of the concession), and the goodwill of Publicis Cinema, already fully amortized.
Property, plant and equipment are recognized at net acquisition cost and are subject to annual depreciation calculated on a straight-line basis over the following periods:
The gross amount of long-term equity investments is composed of the acquisition price of the securities excluding ancillary expenses. Foreign currency-denominated securities are recognized at their acquisition price translated into euros at the exchange rate applicable on the date of the transaction.
Impairment is recognized whenever the investment’s value in use is lower than its carrying amount. Value in use is determined on the basis of objective criteria, such as net asset value, capitalized earnings or market capitalization, associated where necessary with more subjective criteria, such as specific industry indicators or ratios determined, in the context of economic assumptions and the Company’s growth forecasts, on the basis of the present value of projected future cash flows, and the strategic nature of the investment for the Groupe.
Marketable securities primarily include treasury shares, which are classified according to their intended purpose.
A provision for liabilities is recognized for treasury shares allocated to stock option or free share plans in order to reflect the loss resulting from the difference between the subscription price (zero for the free shares) and their cost price.
A provision is recognized for treasury shares that are not allocated to such a plan as well as for other marketable securities, whenever their current value at year-end is lower than their carrying amount. The current value of publicly traded securities equals the average quoted price for the final month of the financial year, and for non-listed securities, the probable selling price.
Bonds are recognized at their par value.
In cases where a redemption premium exists, the liability is increased by the total amount of such a premium. This premium is offset by the recognition of an asset, which is amortized over the life of the bond on an actuarial basis.
In cases where an issue premium exists, the liability is recognized at par value and the issue premium is recognized as an asset; the issue premium is amortized over the life of the bond.
