25th May 2012
We’re pleased to announce the sale of the UK’s leading in-store research and data collection agency, ESA (Market Research) Limited, to BDRC Group, the UK’s largest independent market research consultancy. The acquisition will lift the annual turnover of the BDRC Group to over £20m.
Established in 1979 and under 100% ownership of Belfast based branded drinks and foods business SHS Group Limited since 2004, ESA is the UK’s largest provider of in-store information and the leading retail customer experience measurement organisation. Through its panel of over 10,000 quality assured fieldworkers, interviewers and mystery shoppers, ESA delivers over a million facts each week to retailers and brands including Sainsbury’s, Amazon, AC Nielsen, B&Q, Iceland, Next, L’Oreal and Nestle.
Green Square acted as advisor to SHS Group and the management of ESA throughout the process.
Michael Howard, Group MD of SHS, commented:
“As a holding company of multiple food and drink brands, we originally acquired ESA as it gave us direct insight into point of sale research across our product set. Eight years on, ESA now works across many retailers and channels and, given SHS Group’s acquisition of further food and drink brands over the period, is now non-core to its operations. Thus it was decided that ESA’s future development would be better served by being part of a more synergistic research group. Green Square have done an excellent job in finding the best fit for ESA going forward and negotiating a transaction that worked well for all concerned. I wish the management of ESA and the shareholders of BDRC every future success.”