NEWS3 December 2015

MRS league tables show ‘robust’ industry growth

UK — The Market Research Society (MRS) has published its Annual League Table of the largest research organisations by turnover, revealing strong industry growth.

In 2014, the 86 organisations eligible for entry — those with a turnover exceeding £3m — generated over £2.7bn in turnover. This represents overall year-on-year growth of 4%.

61 of those 86 business — 71% of the Annual League Table — reported increased turnover, and the top 20 agencies accounted for around 75% of turnover value. Of those top 20 agencies, 12 are UK businesses, five are from the US, and one each is from France, Germany and the Netherlands. There were six new entrants, matched by six departures since last year.

The top 20 agencies are listed below, and the full league tables can be found here.

2014 ranking	2013 ranking	Company Name	2014 turnover (£m)	2013 turnover (£m)
1	1	Kantar	464.2	461.9
2	8	Wood Mackenzie Research & Consulting	227.4	212.8
3	2	Dunnhumby	191.6	165.2
4	3	IpsosMORI	165.2	162.4
5	5	Gartner	138.5	121
6	4	GfK	136.6	162
7	6	Nielsen	120.7	112.6
8	9	Euromonitor	88.3	74.2
9	10	Mintel Group	74.9	69.6
10	11	Omnicom/DAS	74	66.9
11	14	Ebiquity	68.5	64
12	17	Informa	66.9	49.7
13	12	Information Resources	39.1	42.4
14	15	Cello Group	38	36.2
15	7	IMS Health	36.2	39.3
16	16	Research Now	34.5	31.5
17	13	NatCen	34.2	41.5
18	19	MMR Group	28.1	25.3
19	18	Double Helix	27.5	26
20	21	BDRC Group	24.7	23.2

Alongside the MRS Annual League Table, a listing has been released of the top 50 individual agencies by turnover, which breaks out organisations that are part of a group into their individual businesses. The 20 fastest-growing agencies are also included separately.

“4% overall growth for those businesses represented in the MRS Annual League Tables is great news for the research industry,” said Jane Frost, CEO of MRS. “It demonstrates that many businesses of greater than £3 million have not only left the difficulties of the recession behind but are now beginning to grow more tangibly.

“The Tables reflect the diverse nature of the UK research industry, and exhibit the wide range of talent and methodologies deployed by organisations – from the largest public global groups to the boutique businesses – to provide vital insight. The work they do may vary considerably, but each business operates in support of well informed, evidence-based decision-making.”