Creston Reports Growth in Insight Arm

Creston's insight division - which comprises Marketing Sciences and ICM - has reported a 7% increase in annual revenue to £12.9m. The remainder of the Group by contrast saw a slight decline in revenue and profit.

For the Insight arm, headline PBIT increased from £1.4m to £2.6m, and the division reported an improved margin of 20 per cent, compared with 12 per cent in 2013. On a reported basis, PBIT was £1.7m (2013: £1.4m).

For ICM, Creston said that the period represented a 'marked recovery' following the management team and structural changes undertaken in FY13. Marketing Sciences delivered what Creston described as 'an exceptional year of revenue and Headline PBIT growth'.

For the next financial year, the insight division will focus on innovations across online communities, real-time feedback, the measurement of multi-channel consumer activity, and neuroscience, following Creston's recent acquisition of neuroscience start-up Walnut.

Overall for the group, Creston reported a fall in revenue from £75.2m to £74.9m, while headline PBIT dropped from £10.2m to £9.8m. Barrie Brien (pictured), Creston's recently appointed Group CEO, comments: 'It has been a year of good progress, despite challenges with client budget volatility at the beginning of the financial year. At full year we were slightly down in revenue and profits on the previous year but a high level of new business pitching in the first half translated into good revenue and profit growth for the second half year-on-year.'

Web site: www.creston.com .