Retail Consultancy emnos Buys Diametric

Insight-led retail marketing consultancy emnos has agreed to acquire UK firm Diametric. Former dunnhumby UK MD Steve Gray will chair the combined company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Diametric owners Robert Diamond and Bob Willmott will continue as CEO and Board Director respectively. The combined group works for some of the world's largest retailers and brand owners, including Carrefour, Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKilne, British Telecom, Coca-Cola and The National Lottery.

The two firms will retain their own brands, with Diametric leading development across the English-speaking markets and emnos focusing on business growth across Continental Europe, from its current bases in Germany and France.

The deal strengthens Diametric's analytical capability, increasing the team to 30 SAS/SPSS analysis and modelling experts; its European marketing consulting capability, with offices in Munich, Paris and London; and reinforces its expertise in both the retail arena and with FMCG brand owners. Diametric will also have access to emnos' result-oriented decision-making tools and technologies, and its customer management platforms and services.

Gray says the deal gives emnos the benefit of Diametric's 'profound experience, especially within the FMCG sector' and 'establishes a sound basis for significantly increasing our share of the global customer insight and CRM markets.'

emnos is a subsidiary of Loyalty Partner GmbH, the operator of Germany's most successful loyalty programme PAYBACK, whose points are now collected by 1 in 3 German households. It has offices in Munich (HQ), London and Paris.

2007 has seen the release of a series of insight and research-led tools by Diametric, including Future RetailSM, which analyses structural change in the sector, and concept testing and fast turnaround tool ResponseSM.

Diametric was founded in 2001 and is privately owned by the two Directors. Diamond worked at PWC, DM agency Wunderman and in brand management at Procter & Gamble, while Willmott held client-side marketing roles at P&G, Kraft and Air Miles and was subsequently Digital Marketing Director at EMAP.

emnos is online at www.emnos.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.