The deal allows students from accredited colleges and universities to access data from Nielsen’s vaults, covering the food, non-food grocery items, health and beauty aids sectors.

Data from 2004–2009 will be available initially, although there are planned annual updates.

Booth’s dean Sunil Kumar (pictured) said: “I believe the impact of releasing Nielsen’s information will be as significant as the creation of the Centre for Research in Security Prices, a data gathering project established at Booth in 1960 that changed the face of finance.”

Possible uses of the data include research on the effect of branding decisions that typically show results years later – such as the impact of advertising investments on positioning a brand. The information could also allow researchers to investigate differences in purchasing behaviour over various retail channels and among various consumer segments, according to a statement.