Parc in regional market data joint venture

In a move that should result in more reliable regional market data, Pan Arab Research Centre (Parc) has signed an agreement with research institution BMRB to set up a 50:50 joint venture, TGI-Arabia.

The company, to be based in Dubai, will offer the advertising, media and marketing industry in the Arab world a single-source, large-scale survey of consumers' product usage, media consumption, lifestyles and attitudes, explained Sami Raffoul, general manager, Parc.

The information can be used to obtain more accurate market intelligence, brand insight, user profiles, consumer segmentation, target media and sponsorship synergy. TGI-Arabia goes operational on July 1, initially from Parc's regional offices in Dubai. No details on the new company's capitalisation or proposed structure were available.

Paul Dickenson, BMRB international director, however explained that the company would firm up its plans by end-July, after gaining an assessment of the amount of support the venture enjoys from prospective clients.

The immediate step would be cementing the company's legal standing, he added. The new entity, which will offer the Target Group Index research services, will combine BMRB's expertise, technology and international marketing services with Parc's local knowhow, field research, data processing, marketing and customer support services, he pointed out.

"We intend to launch market research operations first in Saudi Arabia, and quickly expand into Kuwait, Egypt and the UAE, before entering Lebanon, the other GCC markets and the Middle East," he said.

Initial plans propose to target 7,000 Saudi households in the first year, drawn from an urban population in 14 cities. "Field work operations start this fall, and first data findings will be announced in spring 2002."

BMRB, which has been in operation for 30 years, is a member of the Kantar Group — claimed to be the world's largest research group — and offers TGI services in over 35 countries.

Parc, a member of Gallup International Group, Europanel and Censydiam Group, has been operational for around 25 years. It has a presence in all six GCC countries, apart from Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and other locations in the region.