Rapid Growth for UK's Join the Dots

Manchester-based consumer research agency Join the Dots has moved to a new head office in the city, reporting £1 million of new client business and 20% growth in 2013.

Founded as Virtual Surveys in Hook, Hampshire in 1998, the company moved its headquarters to Manchester in 2004, changed its name in June 2011 and now boasts eighty staff in the new office. A flurry of hires at the start of this year included Curiosity Research founder Andy Cumming, and business builders Mark Walton and Ed Wheeler.

The company pioneered moderated email groups in the 1990s and was among the first to develop online insight communities in 2006. MD Quentin Ashby says the move marks the start of a new era, with 2013 'a watershed year' for the firm. Ashby says the new base in The Hive (www.thehivemanchester.com ) 'reflects the company's personality' with its emphasis on innovation and creativity.

Ashby predicts that the business will achieve turnover of £5m this financial year and plans to employ 140 staff by 2016. It also aims to launch a graduate scheme in 2014. He concludes: 'You can never tell exactly what the future holds in this industry but what you can do is get the right building blocks in place to move forward and I'm confident that is exactly what we have done.'

The company is online at www.jointhedotsmr.com .