Norstat Buys in Switzerland

Norstat has acquired the Swiss social and market research company DemoSCOPE, which provides qual and quant data collection and research services, and operates a proprietary consumer panel in Switzerland with more than 60,000 respondents.

Norstat was established in Norway in 1997 and now has a presence throughout the Nordics and Baltic countries, as well as Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland and Ireland. DemoSCOPE was founded in 1961 and operates from headquarters in Lucerne and an additional office in French-speaking Fribourg. Clients include governmental and federal institutions, academia and private-sector organisations. It is known for its reliability, strong methodological expertise, and long-term client relationships. Around 50 employees service about 500 clients.

Norstat, which previously acquired Zurich-based TestingTime in 2021, says the buy strengthens its existing presence in the country, and adds strong public-sector and academic credentials, broad methodological expertise, and a highly experienced team with deep local market knowledge. DemoSCOPE's clients will get access to Norstat's 14 million respondents across 45 markets in Europe and the Americas, as well as solutions including Norstat Express, Norstat Dashboards, MyNorstat, and Norstat Studio. Norstat has already been adding to its consumer panel and last autumn appointed Raúl Fuertes as Business Development Director for the country, also based in Zurich.

Dr. Michael Buess (pictured) will continue as Managing Director of DemoSCOPE, and comments: 'We are incredibly proud of what DemoSCOPE has achieved over many decades in the Swiss market through high-quality work and trusted client relationships. Becoming part of Norstat marks an exciting new chapter for us and is a natural fit with the values that define DemoSCOPE. It allows us to combine our deep local expertise with Norstat's global operational excellence, creating a more comprehensive offering for our existing clients while also enabling us to expand into new client segments.'

'Switzerland is an important market,' says Norstat CEO Erling J.B. Eriksen, 'and with its experienced team, deep expertise in both social and consumer research, high-quality panel, and long-standing client relationships, DemoSCOPE further strengthens our position. Their commitment to data quality makes them a natural addition to Norstat as we continue to build a truly global data collection business.'

The firms' home pages are at www.demoscope.ch and www.norstatgroup.com .