Expansion for GfK in Healthcare

With effect from this week, the GfK Group has taken over the activities of I+G Nürnberg and its subsidiaries, GPI Kommunikationsforschung and I+G Suisse from the existing joint venture with NFO Europe, called I+G Gesundheitsforschung. Business operations will continue under the name GfK HealthCare.

With the takeover of I+G Nürnberg, GfK is expanding its range of services in pharmaceuticals and healthcare research. These include national and international panel services and ad hoc research in the medicine and the dental and veterinary markets.

I+G Gesundheitsforschung, which has been integrated into the GfK HealthCare segment, is a leading provider of marketing research services to the pharmaceuticals industry worldwide. With a staff complement of 81, it achieved sales of EUR 17.5 million in 2001. The core competence of GfK HealthCare is to provide support to companies in terms of their strategic and operational marketing decisions.

'Expanding our research services in the healthcare segment is a major step for GfK. This strategic move enables us to operate in a key growth market in marketing research, develop it dynamically and help to achieve the overall growth objectives of the GfK Group,' explains Wilhelm R. Wessels, who is the GfK Management Board member with responsibility for the healthcare segment.

With GfK HealthCare and its subsidiaries, GPI Kommunikationsforschung in Germany and I+G Suisse in Switzerland, as well as Martin Hamblin GfK HealthCare, UK, Martin Hamblin GfK HealthCare, USA, and its shareholdings IHA IMS in Switzerland and m2a in France, GfK provides marketing research services in key countries. The successive expansion of the GfK HealthCare network is a strategic objective for the near future.

Wilhelm R. Wessels' outlook for the segment is positive 'By integrating I+G Gesundheitsforschung into GfK HealthCare, the GfK Group has the ideal platform for a sustained, growth-oriented business policy in the dynamic market of healthcare and pharmaceuticals research.' In 2001, the pharmaceuticals industry spent almost EUR 27 billion on advertising and communication and an estimated EUR 2.7 billion was invested in marketing research services. The key healthcare markets are North America, Europe and Japan.

The continuous increasing life expectancy of the population in the industrialized economic regions, North America and Europe, coupled with growing awareness of health, are decisive factors with regard to the anticipated dynamic growth of the healthcare markets and the resultant long-term demand for marketing research services. Peter Eichhorn and Gerald Müller, the Managing Directors of GfK HealthCare, added 'With the new structure and expansion of the HealthCare segment, GfK is very well positioned in terms of service offering and expertise and can offer its national and international customers first-class research services via its global network.'

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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