JCDecaux

Controversies

Helsinki Finns Party campaign

During the 2021 Finnish municipal elections, a campaign in Helsinki public transport run by JCDecaux on the behalf of the Finns Party was accused of racism and spreading inflammatory messages by suggesting that immigrants are preferred to the native Finns in the allocation of municipally owned rental housing in Helsinki. Consequently, JCDecaux and Helsinki City Transport have decided to cancel the campaign. This in turn was criticized by the Finns Party, including by its chairman Jussi Halla-aho, however, the party's request for a formal police investigation was denied.[11][12]

Pro-Russian ads in Norway

During the early campaign before the 2025 Norwegian parliamentary election, the company was criticized for running an advertisement campaign on the Oslo Metro echoing Russian disinformation techniques and opposing Norwegian military aid to Ukraine following the Russian invasion. The campaign was ostensibly funded by a newly established pro-Russian party Peace and Justice (FOR). However, the party neither reported donations anywhere near the required amount nor disclosed its funding sources, leading to strong suspicions of foreign interference and possible Russian financing. As a result, the Political Parties Act Committee launched an investigation into the campaign. JCDecaux's Norway head, Gisle Holst Roness, declined to disclose how much the company was paid.[13] The campaign also drew sharp criticism from Oslo Sporveiers Arbeiderforening (OSA), the city's largest transport union, which denounced the ads as “populist, divisive and irresponsible,” stating that such messages “pollute the urban environment” and “undermine fundamental values such as international solidarity and the fight for peace and democracy.”[14] The campaign was aborted after the party has accused the operator Sporveien, and consequently JCDecaux, of breach of contract due to the widespread vandalism aimed at the anti-Ukraine posters.[15]

Europe

JCDecaux originated in France.[7]

Thanks to its partnership with Wall AG, the company settled in Germany in 1982 and then in Turkey in 1996.

JCDecaux UK was founded in the United Kingdom in 1984 and is the market leader in outdoor advertising. In 2005, JCDecaux UK unveiled the UK's tallest outdoor advertising structure: the M4 Torch. JCDecaux won several important contracts such as: a contract for Outdoor Advertising at St Pancras International in London (2011),[27] and National Rail Outdoor Advertising and BAA Advertising Contracts at Heathrow, Heathrow Express, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Glasgow Airports. In 2010, JCDecaux completed the acquisition of UK rival Titan Outdoor.[28] In 2015, JCDecaux won the Transport for London (TfL) bus shelter advertising contract.[29]

JCDecaux can now be found in most European countries, including Luxembourg (1985), the Netherlands (1986), Finland (1989), Sweden (1989), Spain (1990), Slovakia (1990), Czech Republic (1995), Norway (1998), Ireland (1999), Poland (1999) and in Hungary (2012). JCDecaux can also be found in the Baltic states (2002), Bulgaria (2007), and Ukraine (2007).[30] Additionally, JCDecaux is present in Denmark (AFA JCDecaux Denmark) since 1989, in Italy (IGPDecaux) since 1995, in Iceland (AFA JCDecaux Iceland) since 1998, in Switzerland (APG|SGA) since 1999, in Austria (Gewista) since 2001, in Croatia and Slovenia (Europlakat) since 2001, in Serbia (Alma Quattro) since 2003 and in Russia (Russ Outdoor) since 2007 through equity or joint ventures.

North America

JCDecaux has been present in the United States since 1993 in major cities and 26 US airports, including New York,[31] Washington, D.C.,[32] and Los Angeles.[33] JCDecaux entered Canada in 2002.

Its North America division has its head office 350 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.[34]

South America

JCDecaux moved into Brazil and Argentina in 1998. The company is also a part of the outdoor market in Argentina, Uruguay (2000), Chile (2001) and Perú (2014). JCDecaux won a contract for 1000 digital clocks in São Paulo (2012), completing the acquisition of 85% of EUMEX.[35]

Middle East and Africa

The company's operation also covers the Middle East with offices established in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Doha in Qatar, Tel Aviv in Israel, as well as Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah in Saudi Arabia. JCDecaux signed a 20-year exclusive street furniture contract to provide the City of Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, with a wide range of advertising street furniture.[36]

JCDecaux is present in the following African countries: Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria, Malawi, Mauritius, Réunion, Tanzania, Angola, Botswana Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Asia and Oceania

JCDecaux expanded to Australia in 1997. In Asia, JCDecaux can be found in Singapore and Thailand (1999), Japan (2000, as MCDecaux) and South Korea (2001). JCDecaux entered China in 2004, in seven airports, including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. The company also has a presence in India (2006), Uzbekistan (2006), Kazakhstan (2007) and Mongolia (2014).[37]

In 2018, the company acquired the Australian company APN Outdoor.[38]

According to JCDecaux, they have been maintaining and building about 1200 bus shelters within the NDMC since 2006 on their behalf.[39] In March 2020, JCDecaux reported that they had been disinfecting bus shelters in Delhi in order to combat the spread of COVID-19 effectively.[40]