Major European Contracts for GfK

German agency GfK has won contracts for two major projects with a total volume of approximately Euro 10 million for 2002 and 2003. The projects will be carried out by GfK companies in the Consumer Tracking division in the Netherlands and Switzerland, giving the division a head start in the coming financial year.

The first contract is for an analysis of housing demand (Woningbehoefte Onderzoek 2002) for the Dutch Ministry for Housing. The survey will form the basis for planning at the Ministry as well as at a range of social and economic institutions at national and regional level.

Preparations are already underway for a survey of at least 60,000 Dutch people, which will be carried out between March and December 2002. The survey includes questions on their living situation, future housing demand and general wishes with regard to housing and the surrounding area. The contract is worth at least Euro 4.8 million. Project management and coordination are the responsibility of GfK Panel Services Benelux. Intomart, the wholly owned Dutch subsidiary of GfK, and another Dutch agency will also be involved in the fieldwork.

Since 1977, the Dutch Ministry for Housing has carried out this survey every four years. GfK has been a major contractor for the survey since 1993. The aim of the study, which the Dutch government carries out instead of a population census, is to create a basis for planning the range of apartments/houses on offer in the Netherlands, as well as for making decisions on a variety of social and economic policy issues, both nationwide and at regional level. The project is scheduled to be completed in March 2003.

The second contract is with the leading Swiss retailer, the Coop, and covers a project linking scanner data from the retailer with panel data from IHA-GfK. Coop intends to develop a web-based knowledge system for promotional activities and new product launches which can be used in category management.

The Coop has signed a multi-year contract with IHA-GfK covering a project in which scanned sales data direct from cash tills, detailed down to each individual item, will be linked with buyer and market data produced by the GfK ConsumerScan panel. From 2002 onwards, this project will analyse the efficacy of all promotional activities, of which there are around 4,000 per year, as well as the success of new product launches.

The information will be posted on the Internet for the Coop and all its partners and suppliers each week and used as a basis for professional category management. The contract is worth Euro 5 million for 2002 and 2003.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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