PARIS (Reuters) - Publicis (>> PUBLICIS GROUPE) CEO Maurice Levy said on Wednesday that the failure of an advertising industry merger with U.S. group Omnicom (>> Omnicom Group Inc.) would cost his company 40-50 million euros (32.07- 40.09 million pounds).

"There will in effect by a financial cost and it's between 40 and 50 million euros," Levy, speaking to BFM Business TV, said of the decision announced in May to abandon a 35-billion -dollar (20.62 billion pounds) alliance between Publicis and Omnicom, respectively the world's third- and second-largest advertising groups.

(Reporting by Gwenaelle Barzic; Editing by Brian Love and Mark John)

Stocks treated in this article : PUBLICIS GROUPE, Omnicom Group Inc.