Nielsen Buys GfK Swiss Panels

The Nielsen Company has agreed to acquire GfK's FMCG Retail Measurement and Consumer Panel business in Switzerland. Nielsen will take over assets related to two continuous FMCG panels: GfK's Retail Store Panel and GfK's Household Consumer Panel.

The firms say they will co-operate to ensure a seamless transition to Nielsen for all current GfK FMCG clients. During a transitional period, GfK services will continued to be produced, and information will be built on Nielsen systems in parallel to secure continuous data flow and historical trends.

GfK will retain all other activities in Switzerland which include Non Food and Media Panels.

Patrick Dodd, President, Nielsen Europe comments: 'At a time when the FMCG industry has the vital need of integrating and anaylsing their data across countries, this acknowledges Nielsen's position as the leading research and insight provider in the FMCG sector across Europe. Bernd Fletschok, MD of Nielsen Switzerland, adds: 'through this agreement we will be well-positioned to offer Swiss FMCG retailer and manufacturer clients an even more relevant, strong portfolio of information services.'

According to Peter Hofer, President of GfK Switzerland, the two companies will deliver reporting services combining Nielsen's FMCG information with GfK's Consumer Durables data. 'We have considerable respect for each other and believe our clients, especially retailers, are anxious to have solutions that offer combined access to our respective information sources.'

Web sites: www.nielsen.com and www.gfk.com .

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

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