United Information Group, London, has acquired Audits & Surveys Worldwide Inc, a New York-based market research company. The purchase price was $42.5 million in cash.
The acquisition doubles the size of UIG, giving it $240 million in revenue and doubling its size in the United States. UIG currently owns Mediamark Research Inc., a syndicated magazine readership agency that provides information to media owners, advertising agencies and advertisers through traditional and electronic publishing, and Market Measures Inc., which serves the healthcare industry with a range of research and information products. Additional holdings include Bruskin/Goldring Research, MIL Motoring Research, and companies serving a variety of markets in North America and Europe.
Audits & Surveys provides corporate clients with solutions to complex domestic and international marketing, strategy and policy problems. With services offered in over 80 countries, Audits & Surveys’ client list is largely composed of household names such as Coca-Cola, IBM, Visa and Volvo.
Sol Dutka will continue as chairman of the Audits & Surveys Worldwide Board of Directors. Lou Bender, president and COO of MRI, will become president and CEO of Audits & Surveys in addition to his present role. H Arthur Bellows Jr., current president of Audits & Surveys Worldwide, will serve as a consultant to Audits & Surveys after completion of the transaction.
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