UK's Strategic Research Goes Under

UK agency Strategic Research has ceased trading as of Monday 1st November. Despite rapid recent growth and a high profile in the industry, the company says it was unable to recover from the loss of one very large client.

Whilst working to counter the risk posed by having one such dominant contract, and build up other revenue streams, the founders say they were taken by surprise by changes within the major client and forced into liquidation.

Gloucestershire-based Strategic was founded in 1989 by Steve Wills and Sally Webb. The company was growing rapidly in 2004, taking on eight new researchers / analysts in the first seven months of the year and reaching a total of 27 permanent staff and 12 associates. Wills shared the 'Best Paper' Award from this year's MRS Conference.

The company recently published two reports describing best practice in Customer Insight Management and Communication, and Market Research Management (the latter in association with AURA); and launched its own benchmarking scheme for insight departments, IBEX (Insight Benchmarking for Excellence). It is not clear at present what will happen to these initiatives but they seem likely to have a future, in the hands of individuals or a group from the company.

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

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