YouGov to buy US firm Harrison

Online market research agency YouGov has agreed to buy Harrison Group, one of the USA's leading marketing and strategic research consulting firms, for an initial $6m. Further amounts are payable over the next three years, estimated at around $7m, subject to Harrison achieving performance targets. Chief executive Stephan Shakespeare: "Harrison is highly complementary to YouGov's existing US business and this acquisition is consistent with YouGov's strategy of scaling up the group's commercial market research business in the USA." "It gives us immediate scale in the corporate research market through a business with an excellent reputation for quality and with a superb client list. We are very proud to add Harrison to our growing US and global network."