XML 173 R173.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.20.1

Authorised and issued share capital - Additional Information (Detail) £ / shares in Units, £ in Millions | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2019 GBP (£) shares ADRs yr £ / shares $ / ADRs | Dec. 31, 2018 GBP (£) £ / shares $ / ADRs shares | Dec. 31, 2017 £ / shares $ / ADRs
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Share option granted in Life | yr | 10 |  |
WPP Share Option Plan 2015 [member] | Bottom of range [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Threshold period for employment participation in employee stock ownership plan | 2 years |  |
WPP Worldwide Share Ownership Program [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Vesting period | 3 years |  |
WPP Worldwide Share Ownership Program [member] | Bottom of range [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Threshold period for employment participation in employee stock ownership plan | 2 years |  |
Executive Stock Option Plan [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Vesting period | 3 years |  |
Share option performance effect | Nine years and eight months |  |
Ordinary shares [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Number of the ordinary shares of the Company held by the ESOP | 9,219,837 | 14,820,994 |
Market value of the ordinary shares of the Company held by the ESOP | £ | £ 98.3 | £ 125.5 |
Number of ordinary shares held in treasury | 70,787,730 | 70,854,553 |
Ordinary shares held in Treasury at market value | £ | £ 755.0 | £ 599.9 |
Average share price | £ / shares | £ 9.39 | £ 11.56 | £ 15.86
Ordinary shares [member] | WPP Share Option Plan 2015 [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Number of ordinary shares under option | 13,413,425 |  |
Ordinary shares [member] | WPP Executive Share Option Scheme [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Number of ordinary shares under option | 6,741 |  |
Ordinary shares [member] | WPP Worldwide Share Ownership Program [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Number of ordinary shares under option | 2,757,654 |  |
American depository receipts [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Average ADR Price | $ / ADRs | 59.93 | 77.31 | 101.86
American depository receipts [member] | WPP Share Option Plan 2015 [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Unexercised options | ADRs | 1,396,745 |  |
American depository receipts [member] | WPP Worldwide Share Ownership Program [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Unexercised options | ADRs | 388,854 |  |
Share purchase options [member] |  |  |
Disclosure of classes of share capital [line items] |  |  |
Unrecognised compensation costs related to share options | £ | £ 7.3 | £ 8.5 |
Unrecognised compensation cost related to share options, weighted average period | 19 months | 20 months |

X
- Definition The option life of share options granted. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name IFRS -Number 2 -IssueDate 2019-01-01 -Paragraph 47 -Subparagraph a -Clause i -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=2&code=ifrs-tx-2019-en-r&anchor=para_47_a_i&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2019-03-27 + Details
Name: | ifrs-full_DescriptionOfOptionLifeShareOptionsGranted
Namespace Prefix: | ifrs-full_
Data Type: | xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Line items represent concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes of the table. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ifrs-full_DisclosureOfClassesOfShareCapitalLineItems
Namespace Prefix: | ifrs-full_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The weighted average share price. [Refer: Weighted average [member]] + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name IFRS -Number 2 -IssueDate 2019-01-01 -Paragraph 45 -Subparagraph c -URI http://eifrs.ifrs.org/eifrs/xifrs-link?type=IFRS&num=2&code=ifrs-tx-2019-en-r&anchor=para_45_c&doctype=Standard -URIDate 2019-03-27 + Details
Name: | ifrs-full_WeightedAverageSharePrice2019
Namespace Prefix: | ifrs-full_
Data Type: | num:perShareItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Market value of shares held by trust under employee share ownership plan. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_MarketValueOfSharesHeldByTrustUnderEmployeeShareOwnershipPlan
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Market Value Of Treasury Shares + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_MarketValueOfTreasuryShares
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition The number of ADR options outstanding in a share-based payment arrangement. Each ADR represents five Ordinary Shares. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_NumberOfOutstandingADROptions
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Number of shares in treasury. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_NumberOfSharesInTreasury
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition The number of share and ADR options outstanding in a share/ADR-based payment arrangement as represented in ordinary shares + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_NumberofOutstandingShareandADROptionsRepresentedInOrdinaryShares
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:decimalItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Share options performance effect. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_ShareOptionsPerformanceEffect
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Share-based Payments Vesting Period + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_SharebasedPaymentsVestingPeriod
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Shares Held in Employee Ownership Trusts + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_SharesHeldInEmployeeOwnershipTrusts
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Share Ownership Program is open for participation to employees continued employment in the Group. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_ThresholdPeriodForEmploymentParticipationInEmployeeStockOnwershipPlan
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Unrecognized share-based payments compensation cost. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_UnrecognizedSharebasedPaymentsCompensationCost
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Unrecognized Share-based Payments Compensation Cost Recognised Period + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_UnrecognizedSharebasedPaymentsCompensationCostRecognisedPeriod
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Weighted​ Average ​ADR​ Price 2019. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wpp_WeightedAverageADRPrice2019
Namespace Prefix: | wpp_
Data Type: | us-types:perUnitItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Details
Name: | ifrs-full_TypesOfSharebasedPaymentArrangementsAxis=wpp_WPPShareOptionPlan2015Member
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | ifrs-full_RangeAxis=ifrs-full_BottomOfRangeMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | ifrs-full_TypesOfSharebasedPaymentArrangementsAxis=wpp_WPPWorldwideShareOwnershipProgram1Member
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | ifrs-full_TypesOfSharebasedPaymentArrangementsAxis=wpp_WPPWorldwideShareOwnershipProgramMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | ifrs-full_TypesOfSharebasedPaymentArrangementsAxis=wpp_ExecutiveStockOptionPlanMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | ifrs-full_ClassesOfShareCapitalAxis=ifrs-full_OrdinarySharesMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | ifrs-full_TypesOfSharebasedPaymentArrangementsAxis=wpp_WPPExecutiveShareOptionScheme1Member
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | ifrs-full_ClassesOfShareCapitalAxis=wpp_AmericanDepositoryReceiptsMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | ifrs-full_ClassesOfShareCapitalAxis=wpp_SharePurchaseOptionsMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |