WPP acquires Chinese joint venture agency SCMR

LONDON – WPP Group-owned Research International has acquired the majority share in its joint venture partner South China Market Research.

The acquisition gives WPP control of three SCMR full service offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, fieldwork offices and relationships with more than 100 suppliers nationally.

Under the terms of the deal, WPP is now the holding company for SCMR, which has been trading under its Research International company name since 1997.

Chen Jin, chief executive of Research International China, said the move will strengthen the partnership.

"We expect integration into the group to mean closer cooperation, standardised methodologies, improved IT systems, increased spend on R&D, access to proprietary techniques, global knowledge management and increased staff training.

"This will be of benefit to our clients and our staff. This deal will help us to service international clients coming in to China and Chinese clients looking to Asia and the rest of the world."

Heather Payne, chief executive of Research International Asia Pacific region, said: "China is of strategic importance for us and our clients. We already have strong regional coverage in Asia, and this acquisition is part of our strategy to invest further in the region."

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .

Topics

You have

[DAYS_LEFT] Days left

of your free trial

Subscribe now

Get a team licence 

 Give your teams unrestricted access to in-depth editorial analysis, breaking news and premium reports with a bespoke subscription to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10.

Find out more

Market Reports

Get unprecedented new-business intelligence with access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s new Market Reports.

Find out more

Looking for a new job?

Get the latest creative jobs in advertising, media, marketing and digital delivered directly to your inbox each day.

Create an Alert Now