WPP plans to eliminate up to 1,000 further positions before the end of the year as part of a reorganisation centered on artificial intelligence, according to people familiar with the plans. The streamlining effort is being directed by chief executive Cindy Rose and will also involve the sale of non-core businesses and a reduction in the companys property holdings.
Those proposed cuts are in addition to about 11,000 roles WPP has removed since the beginning of 2025. The companys total headcount was reported at 97,388 employees as of June 30, 2026, according to the same sources.
Executives are pursuing the measures amid a wave of job reductions across the advertising industry. The sector has faced lower client spending, while the rollout of AI tools has increased automation and efficiency for tasks that historically required larger teams.
As part of the expense-reduction plan, WPP is reducing its real estate footprint in London. The group currently occupies three separate buildings on the south side of the River Thames and is expected to consolidate those locations into two sites, reflecting an effort to trim property costs.
The package of initiatives combines headcount reductions with asset disposals and workspace consolidation. Management has framed the steps as measures to align the operating model and cost base with evolving client demands and technology-driven productivity gains.
While details on the timing and precise scope of disposals were not provided by the sources, the announced plans make clear that the company is pursuing multiple avenues to lower overheads. The reported workforce figure and the tally of cuts since early 2025 provide context for the scale of the restructuring.
The moves come against a backdrop of wider contraction in the advertising marketplace, where lower client spending and the adoption of AI tools are reshaping staffing needs and occupancy requirements. WPPs consolidation of London offices is a direct example of the company translating those pressures into changes in fixed-cost structures.
Context note: Reporting cited people familiar with the plans for details on headcount and property consolidation.