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Jean-Claude Decaux first created a company in 1955 that specialised in Outdoor advertising alongside motorways. However, as these billboards were heavily taxed by law, Jean-Claude Decaux turned towards a business model in 1964 that was based on city billboards and invented the concept of advertising street furniture – well-maintained bus shelters fully funded by advertisers.
Since the first concept of the bus shelter in 1964, JCDecaux has grown offer different types of street furniture. In the 70s, JCDecaux launched its first Citylight Information Panels , a 2m² billboard with signage to indicate directions in cities to drivers. The first fully accessible automatic amenities were installed in San Francisco in 1994, although, in 1981, JCDecaux established a system of automatic public amenities in France. In 1981, JCDecaux also developed the News Electronic Journal, which broadcast news relating to culture, sport, associations and information about the city.JCDecaux then bought the Société Fermière des Colonnes Morris. The Senior billboards, which measure 8m² and allow multiple ads on a single site, were created in the 1980s. The first scrolling billboards appeared in 1988, which increased the number of advertising panels without raising the number of structures.
In 1999, the group acquired Havas Media Communication and Avenir. This acquisition allowed the group to expand into the large-format advertising market and into advertising in airports. In 2001, JCDecaux entered the Euronext Stock Exchange with an opening share price of €16,50. In 2002, Jean-Claude Decaux passed the management of the company on to two of his three sons, Jean-Charles Decaux and Jean-François Decaux, who then became co-CEOs of the company.
JCDecaux installed its first rental system of self-service bicycles in Vienna in 2003 and then in Lyon in 2005. In 2007, JCDecaux won a tender for Paris’ street furniture and bicycle rental system. Today, JCDecaux has a fleet of 52,000 bicycles now present in 70 cities, operated under the brand Cyclocity.
In 2011, JCDecaux acquired MediaKiosk as the main shareholder.As part of the open data movement, JCDecaux made available its data system of the rental bike service in 2013. The company is also recognized for its commitment to sustainable development and holds an ISO 14001 certification.
In January 2022, JCDecaux reported its 2021 revenue as $3.06 billion, an increase of 18.7%, which was perceived as an indication that the out-of-home market had recovered from the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions of the previous years.
