FoneWorx Buys Minority Share in BMi Research

South African service business FoneWorx has bought a 35% share in consumer and industrial research specialist BMi Research, as it looks to strengthen its customer consulting business unit Knowledge 350 degrees.

BMi, which provides custom qual and quant solutions including pricing research, in a broad range of sectors, says its business will continue as normal following the purchase. The firm will now help telecoms and IT solutions provider FoneWorx to analyse and make use of the large amount of consumer data it gathers through its various mobile technology platforms.

Knowledge 350 sits within FoneWorx's MediaWorx division and combines technology and business consulting to help clients move 'from mass marketing to one-to-one marketing'.

BMi Research CEO Gareth Pearson comments: 'With our extensive experience in consumer and industrial research across a wide range of methodologies and markets, we're able to contribute significant value to Knowledge 350 by assisting its clients in better understanding customer needs, perceptions and realities'.

The deal follows a similar buy around two months ago, when FoneWorx took a 44% stake in quant and qual agency Living Facts. The company's home page is at www.foneworx.co.za .