Focused on empowering manufacturers and retailers through rich and actionable data and analytics, Inmar announced that it has acquired Chicago-based Willard Bishop. Together, the companies will deliver the industry’s most cohesive and complete access to consumer products data, analysis and insights. 

In the current environment, manufacturers and retailers alike are challenged to achieve organic growth. Both are recognizing that the insights needed to achieve growth going forward lie in large part within the application of data generated throughout the product lifecycle – from concept and planning through final disposition. The combination of Inmar’s real-time data in promotions, supply chain and healthcare, and Willard Bishop’s operational, consulting and strategic expertise in food retailing, will deliver powerful solutions for manufacturers and retailers alike.

Both companies have been trusted for decades to provide data and insights to the consumer packaged goods industry.  Inmar is an established source for its Coupon Trends and Shopper Promotion Impact Reports. Willard Bishop’s SuperStudy™ reports provide the most comprehensive information on total store performance and, through the SuperStudy eCommerce report, Willard Bishop also provides the industry’s first comprehensive study of online grocery shopping.

“Through this strategic acquisition, Inmar is taking responsibility for providing the comprehensive access to data analytics and information that will help our industry grow in a rapidly changing digital environment,” says Inmar Chairman and CEO David Mounts. “The innovation enabled by joining Inmar and Willard Bishop will be transformative.”

Jim Hertel, Managing Partner, for Willard Bishop says, “Many companies have jumped on the big-data bandwagon. However, there is significant latency in a company’s ability to extract actionable insights from these massive datasets.”  Hertel continues, “Inmar’s acquisition combines our 40 years of manufacturer and retailer domain expertise, and our analytical tools, with their intelligent commerce networks and unrivaled processing capabilities. Together we will bring a new level of insight and understanding to the extended value chain, while providing trading partners with a deeper understanding of shopper behavior – all delivered in real-time or near-time.”