Van den Ende & Deitmers takes stake in MetrixLab

Van den Ende & Deitmers takes a 30% stake in MetrixLab, Europe’s second largest online market research agency. MetrixLab provides market research services in 39 countries to 41 of the world’s leading brands such as Microsoft, Philips, Canon, Google, Unilever, Sara Lee and PepsiCo.

MetrixLab was founded in 1999 by Han de Groot, who has built the company together with co-shareholders Jan Willem Gerritsen, Maikel Willems and Thijs Elias to become one of Europe’s leading providers of online market research services with offices in the Netherlands, UK, Germany, France and Spain. MetrixLab is a leading supplier of digital and cross media campaign tracking, advertising pre-testing and website usability testing to the world’s biggest advertisers such as Microsoft. To FMCG manufacturers like Sara Lee, Unilever and PepsiCo MetrixLab provides new product development research services such as global usage & attitude research, product and packaging concept testing and conjoint and pricing research.

MetrixLab combines state-of-the-art Internet technology with proven qualitative and quantitative market research methods. It was one the first to introduce state-of-theart, online interviewing techniques based on interactive interviewing techniques that engage respondents and enable a deep exploration of the subjective, the implicit and the unconscious mind of the consumer.

MetrixLab has been named in Deloitte’s prestigious Technology Fast 500 Program for Europe, a ranking of the 500 fastest growing media, telecom and technology companies (Fast500europe.com). Recently MetrixLab has also been awarded “Agency of the Year 2008” by the Dutch Market Research Association.

Hubert Deitmers, managing partner and co-founder of Van den Ende & Deitmers: “Metrixlab is a great example of Dutch entrepreneurship with global ambitions. It has emerged as a major player in the field of online market research. Its global online research services help clients to improve and accelerate new product development and increase the effectiveness of cross media advertising campaigns. MetrixLab focuses on innovation and communication research, two fast growing online market research segments in a market of $28 billion annual spending. MetrixLab has built a strong position in the major European countries, based on proprietary solutions. We are keen on helping MetrixLab expand its geographic foot print via organic growth and selective acquisitions.”

Han de Groot, CEO of Metrixlab: “As an online market research agency we have the ambition to belong to the ESOMAR global Top-25 market research agencies and the global Top-5 online market research agencies by 2011. In 2007 two ‘new generation’ online agencies have already entered the ESOMAR Global Top-25 ranking. This proves that the internet is currently revolutionizing market research. Specialized online agencies like us, with a clear focus, proprietary products and global panels have been able to compete with traditional market research multionationals like TNS, GfK, IPSOS, Millward Brown and Research International. To use this market momentum, we have moved into this co-operation with Van Ende & Deitmers. They will enable us to accelerate our growth, organically and via selective acquisitions.”