US and UK Retail Specialists Team Up for European Push

UK-based convenience retail strategy firm Insight Research has announced a strategic alliance with US-based retail strategy and design consultant Joseph Bona, MD of MoseleyBona Retail. The two firms will share a new office in Mayfair, London.

Insight Research is the European Partner for NACS, an international association for convenience and fuel retail located in Washington, DC; and already has an alliance with Retail Marketeers, a business in Hamburg, Germany run by Christian Warning. Insight is known for its study tours where information is exchanged with retailers, allowing the firm to offer benchmarking services for convenience and fuel retailers. Its Managing Director Dan Munford has worked with Bona for many years but the pair say the new alliance marks 'a step change and an expansion of retail agency services into the European market'.

Before setting up MoseleyBona a year ago, Bona (pictured) was Retail Division President at retailer CBX, in an eight-year stay at the company, prior to which he founded branding and store development consultancy GroupRed. Earlier he spent nineteen years at international retail design agency CDI Group, latterly as President, COO.

Munford says of the latest move: 'Joe's branding and design agency expertise and track record of success as an interdisciplinary expert in retail strategy, design, operations and implementation has no equal in our global industry... I'm very excited about the business potential our new alliance will open up in the European market... In a time of disruption and radical change in convenience retail'.

According to Bona: 'Dan and I share the same passion and excitement for uncovering and bringing to life real-world solutions that integrate the science of retail with the art of design. We believe that our combined experience in retail analytics, consumer insights, retail branding and store design will allow us to work across many retail industries helping operators improve their competitiveness and strengthen their brand performance. With the growth of 'foodvenience' across a broad range of retail formats from restaurants in supermarkets, food bars in department stores, sushi in drug stores and elevated food-to-go offers in convenience stores we are uniquely positioned to harness this momentum as we focus our combined energies and sights on European markets'.

Web sites are at www.moseleybonaretail.com and www.insightresearch.co.uk .