Danish Market Research Association FMD to Close

FMD - the Association of Market Research Institutes in Denmark - is to discontinue operating after 41 years as the country's main market research association. Chairman Asger Nielsen announced the news at a seminar run by SMRN (Scandinavian MR News) this morning.

The aim of the association was to promote the development of quality in the industry, to stimulate the use of market research and to work for the members' common interests in their relations with the public, public authorities, organisations, and legislation in Denmark.

Nielsen - who is founder and CEO of research agency Megafon - replaced TNS's Henrik Hansen as Chairman two years ago, since when FMD has demanded ISO20252 certification of all its member companies, entered Dansk Industri (Denmark's employers association), and begun talks to re-join the international industry association EFAMRO.

According to a report published by SMRN, the FMD Board has now concluded that these initiatives have resulted in a wave of firms resigning from the association. Nielsen explained this morning that there are no longer enough member companies to retain meaningful operations, nor represent the entire Danish market research industry.

At the meeting, there were discussions about expanding the Swedish industry association SMIF to also cover Denmark, and there was a general consensus that lessons could be learnt from agencies in Norway.

Web sites: www.fmd.dk and www.smrn.se .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.