On the auction block?

Aegis Group is said to be on the brink of a restructuring whereby it spins off non-core research ops, such as Synovate. An outright sale of the company could even be in the cards, MediaBuyerPlanner writes.

The company is lining up advisors to carry out a review of the business, according to The Guardian.

A recent shakeup among Aegis executives saw Robert Lerwill ousted as CEO. John Napier, chairman of the group, replacing him on an interim basis. The group retained a new investment banking firm, JP Morgan Cazenove, to broker a potential deal.

A review could result in closer ties with Havas, the advertising group whose chairman, Vincent Bollore, is Aegis's largest shareholder. Lerwill repeatedly thwarted numerous attempts by Bollore to seat his own directors on the Aegis board.

Interest in market research firm Synovate is expected to be high, with buyers likely to include GfK, the German group that lost out on TNS to WPP, writes Brand Republic.

In June 2008, Aegis purchased AdWatch, a digital marketing firm based in Russia — a market whose online advertising industry is just ramping up.

Since Lerwill's ouster in November, Aegis shares have risen significantly.