The company has been operating in Amsterdam since 1964, and works for clients including Unilever, Heineken, ABN Amro and ING Group.
Centrum employs 100 people and had revenues of €13.8m (£9.6m) in 2002. It is the second acquisition for Millward Brown this year, following that of US firm Sadek Wynberg Research.
WPP is still embroiled in the battle to take over the struggling ad group Cordiant Communications. It looked to have settled a deal with the company's lenders and management, but rebel shareholders have refused to let the sale go through without a fight. Billionaire chess fan Nahed Ojjeh has acquired more than 10% of the company, with rumours in the City that she is in league with rival holding company Publicis Groupe to do a deal for Cordiant's stake in the media giant ZenithOptimedia.
Active Value, the investment fund, has also been acquiring large chunks of Cordiant share, with the hopes of blocking the WPP deal.
WPP said that the Centrum acquisition was part of its strategy to develop its information business.
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