Nielsen India buys Indicus Analytics; looks out for more acquisitions

New Delhi: Market researcher Nielsen India has acquired 100 per cent stake in economic research firm Indicus Analytics for an undisclosed amount. This is Nielsen’s first acquisition after the firm became Nielsen India, and is looking for more such opportunities in the country.

After this, Indicus Analytics will merge with Nielsen India, and Indicus’ founder and managing director Laveesh Bhandari will join Nielsen as chief economist. “We worked together for a year, where we used the services of Indicus and the talent they have, and we thought it was a good match.

With this association, we will be able to spot the demand better even at a micro level for our clients,” said Piyush Mathur, president, Nielsen India region. With the acquisition of Indicus Analytics, Nielsen will add capabilities for micro and macroeconomics research and analytics, both for the government and private companies, he added.

Indicus provides analytics and data products for clients in consulting, ministries and policy groups, multinational corporations as well as domestic companies across multiple sectors.

It has data from even granular levels such as profiles of districts, towns and rural blocks of India, and maps 640 districts at present. “We have been collecting data about Indian cities at a very micro level, even at the district level. We are currently operating on a small scale and this association will help us in getting access to a larger network. We can now expand our services not just in India, but also globally using Nielsen’s network,” said Bhandari.

Indicus has a team of 50 people working from its offices in Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. Nielsen India is looking for more such acquisitions in the country and has hired a person to look after mergers and acquisitions.