Experian®, the global information solutions company and leading provider of retail data, analysis and consultancy, has acquired FootFall Ltd, the European market leader in customer counting technology and retail information integration services.
The combined businesses will create a global retail and property intelligence group, offering worldwide retail property consultancy, customer data and analysis. The acquisition will enable the development of new international solutions for clients looking to gain customer insight and operational intelligence into their retail business performance.
Since it was founded in 1991, Solihull based FootFall Ltd has established customer counting as a key performance indicator, enabling retail property professionals to achieve maximum operational efficiency and assess performance on a continuous basis. It now operates internationally in eleven countries including Spain, Hong Kong, France and Germany, and across a number of markets including retail property, leisure, airports and financial services.
The Retail FootFall Index (RFI) is regarded as the industry standard benchmark for shopper visits. Endorsed by the British Council of Shopping Centres, it is used by a variety of parties, including the Bank of England, which uses the Retail FootFall Index as an indicator as part of the MPC discussions to determine interest rate movements. The FootFall index is now available in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland and Hong Kong.
FootFall will form part of Experian’s Business Strategies division, which is already a leading provider of European retail property data, analysis and consultancy. Experian’s Business Strategies division provides comprehensive retail supply and demand solutions including local economic forecasts, information on retail provision and site availability, catchment profiles, local area expenditure, property market forecasts, rents data, planning proposals and new property deals. Its Goad retail supply database is the definitive source of retail property information in the UK and Ireland.
Charles Burton, Managing Director of Experian’s Business Strategies division, commented:
“The acquisition of FootFall will enable Experian to offer a complete retail property solution, combining our analytical expertise with operational management information to strengthen our position further in both the property and retail sectors. In turn, FootFall can capitalise on our strengths throughout Europe and Asia to develop their pan-European and Asian retail and property offering.”
John Gallagher, Chief Executive and co-founder of FootFall Ltd, added:
“The synergies between FootFall and Experian will allow us to offer our clients new products and add new data sets to our existing products, thus allowing clients greater knowledge about who their customers are and where potential customers are shopping. We are delighted to be part of Experian’s leading global offering.”
The acquisition of FootFall Ltd is consistent with Experian’s global strategy of acquiring complementary businesses that provide new products, new data or entry into new vertical or regional markets, while leveraging the core assets of Experian.
This press release can be downloaded from http://press.experian.com.
Bruno Rost
Experian Press Office, Business Strategies division
Embankment House, Electric Avenue, Nottingham NG80 1EH
Tel: 0115 968 5009 or mobile 07967 567012
Michelle Simpson at Bright
Tel: +44 (0) 121 711 5000
Fax: +44 (0) 121 711 5001
Email: michelle@bright-consultancy.co.uk
FootFall Ltd is the European market leader in the provision of customer counting information integration services to both the retail and retail property sectors. Based in Solihull with offices worldwide, its clients include nine out of the top 10 retail property companies and funds in the UK, as well as many of the UK’s top 100 retailers. FootFall’s philosophy is to provide accurate audited information and market knowledge to clients in a form that enables them to maximise their strategic thinking.
For more information about FootFall Ltd go to www.footfall.com.
Experian’s Business Strategies division provides an unrivalled understanding of consumers, markets and economies in the UK and around the world, past, present and future. The business is a market leader in consumer profiling and market segmentation, economic forecasting and public policy research, supporting businesses, policy makers and investors in making tactical and strategic decisions. As part of the Experian group, Business Strategies has access to a wealth of research data and innovative software solutions.
Experian’s Business Strategies business has wholly-owned operations in eight countries: UK, France, Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Hong Kong – China. This is supplemented by franchise operations in eight other markets – Germany, Czech Republic, Ireland, Greece, USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. It also owns the Future Foundation, a London-based international strategic marketing consultancy.
For more information about Experian Business Strategies go to www.business-strategies.co.uk.
Experian is the global leader in providing value-added information solutions to organisations and consumers. It has an unrivalled understanding of individuals, markets and economies around the world.
Experian provides information, analytics, decision-making solutions and processing services. It assists organisations understand their markets and customers and helps them find, develop and manage profitable customer relationships to make their businesses more profitable.
Experian promotes greater financial health and opportunity among consumers by enabling them to understand, manage, protect their personal information, helping them control financial aspects of key life events and make the most advantageous financial decisions.
Experian works with more than 50,000 clients across diverse industries, including financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, insurance, retail and catalogue, automotive, manufacturing, leisure, utilities, e-commerce, property and government. A subsidiary of GUS plc with headquarters in Nottingham, UK, and Costa Mesa, California, Experian’s 12,000 people in 31 countries support clients in more than 60 countries. Annual sales are in excess of £1.4 billion.
For more information, visit the company’s website on www.experian.com.
The word ‘Experian’ is a registered trademark in the EU and other countries and is owned by Experian Ltd and/or its associated companies.