Kantar tops MRS league tables

Among the other top performing agencies are retail finance database company Defaqto which reported 67% growth and healthcare research agency The Planning Shop with 61%. In the consolidated businesses table, dunnhumby remained in third position (£239 million turnover) and saw turnover increase 25%.

The Research Live Industry Report published today includes the MRS League Tables (based on 2015 financial data), highlights of the MRS Industry Survey 2016 and editorial commentary.

Overall, the report shows strong growth for research, with the top 100 individual agencies together generating nearly £3bn in turnover during 2015, equating to 6.7% year-on-year growth. While 71% of individual agencies recorded growth, the top 10 accounted for 52.1% of total turnover and the top 20 were responsible for 69.2%.

Eight companies with a turnover exceeding £3m which didn’t make it into the main league tables have been selected as ‘ones to watch’ – these include Springboard Research, Tonic Insight, and MM-Eye – growing rapidly and on track for future inclusion.

Spending £61 on research per capita, the UK’s research industry is larger per head than anywhere else in the world. British businesses spend more per person than the US (£39 ), Germany (£24 ) and France (£23 ).

Jane Frost, CEO of MRS, said: “This report looks not just to celebrate success, but to show how it has been achieved. The headline growth of the industry is accompanied by plenty of positive smaller stories: the increased investment in qualitative research is just one example.

“Of course the future will have its challenges as the industry faces disruptive forces – but we are in better shape than ever to face these hurdles head on. Change represents an opportunity for us to grow and to thrive.”