• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, November 19, 2010

French financier Vincent Bollore appears to have had his position in Aegis Group reduced to a 26.6% stake of the British agency holding company's voting shares, according to a notification Aegis sent to its shareholders Friday.

Bollore, who had previously controlled 29.9% of Aegis, also is the chairman and largest shareholder of Paris-based Havas, a relationship that has fueled persistent speculation of a potential merger between the two agency holding companies.

The change in Bollore's Aegis holdings follows Aegis' acquisition of Australia's Mitchell Communications Group for an estimated $363 million in Aegis stock.

According to a separate notice sent by Aegis this morning, that deal resulted in Mitchell founder and chief Harold Charles Mitchell netting a 3.6% share of Aegis' voting shares, which may have diluted Bollore's position.