NPD Picks Up Scent in Europe

US marketing information provider The NPD Group has acquired control of Parkod France and Parkod Europe, specialists in software and information for the perfumery sector. NPD has appointed Claude Charbit, former executive VP for European operations at IRI (Information Resources, Inc.) as Chairman.

Parkod's software, brands and databases will be used alongside NPD's BeautyTrends(r) to service to help retailers and manufacturing clients in the perfumery sector. According to Charbit, 'Parkod's many assets complement NPD BeautyTrends' myriad informational offerings. We look forward to providing expanded information services to perfume retailers and manufacturers in France and across Europe'.

The selective perfumery sector includes such products as perfume, skin-care products and make-up, for which Parkod has developed a pioneering product classification and advanced information systems for in-store tracking. BeautyTrends collects point-of-sale information from individual stores, analyses it and delivers it to clients on a weekly basis.

Charbit draws a distinction between 'countries where the level of in-store computerization is weak, and where product codification systems are not always well structured', and those like France itself where the quality of data is high and needs to be maintained. NPD will work 'in partnership with the European and National Retailer Federations and large national and international Chains or independent Groups ... to bring the necessary means to secure the quality of collected data files and ensure their consistency across Europe' according to the new Chairman.

The Group's NPD Worldwide division is online at www.npdworldwide.com

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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