Dunnhumby tops latest MRS League Tables

The company was the best performing individual agency for the second year in a row in the rankings, which are published in the Research Live Industry Report 2019.

Dunnhumby held on to its number one slot despite a fall of 0.425% compared to the previous year. WPP-owned Kantar retained its position at the top of the consolidated businesses ranking, with a turnover of £456m, an increase of 1.96% compared to the previous year. The fastest growing individual agency was IQVIA Solutions UK, with turnover up almost 73% to £74m.

The tables, which are based on 2017 financial data (collated and analysed in 2018 ), show strong growth for the research industry, with the top 100 individual agencies growing by an average of 6.5% year-on-year, generating a total of £3.294bn in turnover in 2017. Sixty-four agencies out of the top 100 grew their turnover, while 36 declined.

The report also includes analysis of the top 25 global market research, data analytics and insights companies from the Global Research Business Network (GRBN), which shows that the eight UK companies in the global top 25 derived over 85% of their revenue from overseas in 2017.

Elsewhere, the report analyses the gender pay gap in the market research industry, finding that the average hourly earnings for men were 17.7% more than the average for women in 2017. 

Jane Frost, chief executive of MRS, said: “By our estimates the UK research supply industry grew by 3% in 2017 and has passed the £5bn mark. Never underestimate the value of a nice round memorable number, especially in these volatile times when we must continually promote and protect the sector.

“MRS continues to lobby hard and highlight the value of the research industry to the UK government. This is to ensure that post-Brexit we retain our position as the second largest research industry in the world, with the highest per-capita expenditure on market research and insight.”

Download the Research Live Industry Report 2019 here.