C.J. Olson Market Research, Inc., has moved to a new location with a larger focus group facility. The new address is: 2125 E. Hennepin Ave., Ste. 100, Minneapolis, Minn.,
ACNielsen has reached an agreement with Safeway Inc., Pleasanton, Calif., that will enable Nielsen to report chain-specific census data for the nation’s third-largest supermarket chain. Safeway operates 1,052 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Nielsen’s census trading area, with a customized comparative market component, enables consumer packaged goods manufacturers to view Safeway relative to competitive chain supermarket retailers in a Safeway-defined geography.
In other news, ACNielsen has acquired the remaining 75.1 percent stake in ACNielsen South Africa from Integrated Business Information Services. In 1987 Nielsen divested its business in South Africa to Integrated Business Information Services as part of Dun & Bradstreet’s withdrawal from the country. In 1994 Nielsen bought a 24.9 percent share in the South African business.
The company has also expanded its operations into Israel by acquiring a 90 percent stake in Market Share Meida Shivuki Ltd., a research firm located near Tel Aviv.
ACNielsen has released its fourth-quarter results for 1996, announcing a net income of $11.4 million, or $0.20 a share, compared with a net loss of $19.7 million, or $0.35 per share, in 1995. The 1995 fourth-quarter results exclude the impact of a $152.2 million non-recurring charge. Including the charge, the company’s net loss in the fourth quarter of 1995 was $161.0 million, or $2.85 per share. For the full year of 1996, ACNielsen posted net income of $15.8 million, or $0.28 per share, compared with 1995’s net loss of $65.4 million, or $1.16 per share, excluding the 1995 fourth-quarter charge and a $31.9 million provision for postemployment benefits in the third quarter of 1995. Including these items, the company had a net loss of $230.9 million, or $4.09 a share, in 1995.
ICT Group, Inc., Langhorne, Pa., reported that revenues for 1996 totaled $71.6 million, a 37 percent increase from $52.1 million in revenues in 1995. Pro-forma net income for 1996 increased 47 percent to $1,327,000 or $0.12 per share, compared to $903,000 or $0.09 per share in 1995, excluding the effect of a nonrecurring, non-cash charge for IPO-related compensation in the second quarter of 1996. Revenues for the three months ended December 31, 1996 were $19.7 million, a 23 percent increase from $16.0 million for the same period in 1995. Net income for the three months ended December 31, 1996 was $0.03 per share compared to $0.05 pro-forma net income per share in 1995.
The Olson Research Group, Inc. has moved to: The Office Center, Ste. 1210, Plainsboro Rd., Plainsboro, N.J.
MarketWise has moved to 831 E. Morehead St., Ste. 150, Charlotte, N.C.
Burke, Inc., Cincinnati, has formed Burke Strategic Consulting Group (BSCG), a wholly owned subsidiary, to help companies achieve their goals by aligning and improving their organization structure, management practices and business processes. BSCG will be headquartered in Boston. The new company will be headed by Diane
Salamon, vice president, Burke, Inc., and managing director BSCG. Salamon will be joined by Fran Lipson. A second office for the group in Atlanta will be run by Jaci Jarrett Masztal.
SOFRES, a research company headquartered in Paris, has acquired Intersearch Corporation, Horsham, Pa. Bruce Shandler, former president of Intersearch, will now be the chief executive officer of Intersearch.
Audits & Surveys Worldwide has opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Manila, the Philippines. Alicia Pascual will serve as managing director of the Manila office. The address is: 14/F The World Centre, 330 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Roper Starch Worldwide has opened an Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and a European headquarters in London. Xiaoyan Zhao, Roper Starch vice president of international operations, has been named managing director of the Asia Pacific office, which will be located at Suite 1008A, Shui On Center, 6-8 Harbour Rd., Wanchai, Hong Kong. Steve Thomson, head of the international division of London-based research company Parker Tanner Ltd., was named managing director of Roper Starch’s London office.
In February, Rockbridge on the Web, the Web site of Rockbridge Associates, Inc., a Vienna, Va., research firm, won the Marketing Research Resource Center’s Web Site of the Month award.