Merger for UK's Blue Yonder and US Firm Curion

British-based R&D product insight specialist Blue Yonder Research is to merge with Stateside partner and opposite number Curion.

Deerfield, IL-based Curion researches current and potential consumer attitudes to products across the food & beverage, home, health & personal care, restaurant and durable goods industries, in six consumer testing centers. The firm uses a combination of observation, advanced analytics and proprietary tools including Curion Score and PULSE. Blue Yonder is based in Leeds, and promises to help brands 'ignite, develop, and deliver' market-winning ideas. In June last year, the company launched an agile product testing tool called SprintAI, which it claims can deliver product testing data in as little as 24 hours, 'without compromising on depth and flexibility.'

'Curion and Blue Yonder share a belief that great products start with real human understanding,' states the former's CEO Steve Jungmann. 'By bringing our teams together, we're creating a global partner to help brands innovate with confidence, and move from idea to in-market with speed, clarity, and empathy.' Jonathan Million (pictured), CEO and founder of Blue Yonder Research, comments: 'Joining Curion feels like a natural evolution. We've always been driven by a passion for understanding what motivates consumer purchases, from the small decisions to the everyday moments behind them. Curion brings the scale, technology, and reach to amplify that passion globally.'

Web sites: www.curioninsights.com and www.blueyonder.agency .