US acquisitions help drive YouGov growth

Revenue in the year ended 31 July 2011 was £56.1m, up from £44.2m. Adjusted operating profit was £5.3m, up from £3.8m.

The rise was driven partly by acquisitions in the US, as well as 9% organic growth – well ahead of the market as a whole. The purchases of Harrison Group and Definitive Insights saw US revenue increase by 230%, making the country YouGov’s biggest market.

CEO Stephan Shakespeare (pictured) said the agency “remains committed to making additional investments in new products and geographical expansion which will support further growth”.

Chairman Roger Parry said: “Our focus in the coming year is on growing the core business as well as extending the model to new markets and new customers through organic start-ups and joint ventures.”

The company expects “good revenue growth” to continue this year, despite the end of its polling contract in Iraq.

YouGov shuffled its US and European management, promoting Definitive Insights’ boss Doss Struse to president in the US, UK CEO Tim Britton to COO for the EMEA region, and appointing Andreas Sperling from Millward Brown as CEO of its German subsidiary, YouGovPsychonomics.

It plans to open an office in Paris next month.