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TNS Takes Control of Latin American Panels
TNS is to buy the remainder of LatinPanel Holdings from joint venture partners The NPD Group and the IBOPE Group. Its current 33.3% stake will be upped to 100% in January.
LatinPanel operates in 15 countries in Latin America and provides local and international clients with access to a household research panel across the packaged groceries, toiletries and cosmetics, fresh foods and textile retail markets.
The firm says that the full incorporation of LatinPanel into the TNS Worldpanel network underlines the commitment it has shown to the market since it established its first continuous panel in Argentina in 1992. The Worldpanel business (renamed in 2003 www.mrweb.com/drno2k/news2337.htm ) covers more than 50 countries with services based on continuous monitoring of purchasing and usage activity.
The acquisition also supports the firm's objective to increase exposure in the Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa (ALM) region, while increasing the proportion of business it derives from syndicated research.
Josep Montserrat, TNS Worldpanel Sector Head and LatinPanel Chairman commented: 'Our continuous consumer panel business ensures global and local brands gain the insights they require to plan for the future and build on their success. By integrating LatinPanel into TNS Worldpanel, we are creating the right platform to support our clients over the long term.'
LatinPanel covers 96% of the region's GDP - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela - and conducts around 1.7 million interviews each year. Web sites are at www.latinpanel.com and www.tnsglobal.com.
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