B2B International sees turnover grow 10% as clients get defensive

MARKET research company B2B International saw turnover increase 10% to close to £3.5m in 2009, despite a significant change in client research habits.

The Stockport-based company, which also has offices in New York and Beijing, and an affiliate office in Moscow, saw many of its clients move away from international market assessment studies during the year towards more defensive research strategies, such as commissioning customer satisfaction surveys.

Matthew Harrison, the company’s financial director, said: “2009 was a challenging time throughout the market research sector. Budgets in some industries were cut, and some of our clients were forced to delay projects due to the economic uncertainty. However, the main trend in 2009 was a change in the type of business we conducted. 

He added: “Towards the end of the year, however, this trend was reversed, and early 2010 has seen huge interest in our Chinese and wider Asian offering.”

Managing director Nick Hague is optimistic about the prospects for the firm in 2010 as general business confidence increases.

He said: “It is clear that our clients across Europe, North America and Asia are feeling more positive about the future and there has been a significant upturn in enquiries and commissions since around September 2009.”