Research Firms Futuresource, BCC Merge

March 28, 2024 by Dave Haynes

Research companies aren’t what leap to mind when there’s word of mergers and acquisitions, but we have a second one in the last few months involving firms known for watching and quantifying the pro AV sector.

UK-based market research consultancy Futuresource Consulting and Boston-based market research firm BCC Research have announced a strategic merger.

“There are strong synergies between BCC Research and Futuresource Consulting which can now be fully realized. The brands share complementary research offerings and together can provide our clients with a greater depth and breadth of research,” says Craig Ive, Interim CEO and portfolio manager of the two companies. “Futuresource has leading technology expertise, while BCC’s strengths lie in the life sciences. These two distinct industries are increasingly interacting with and informing one another, creating opportunities for more robust and expansive research.”

The deal has been underway for a few weeks now and is expected to be completed in April. Both companies will retain their brand identities, but work collectively under a new name.

“The unification of BCC Research and Futuresource Consulting is an extremely positive step. We will simplify and streamline operational efficiencies, allowing both businesses to run together seamlessly. By uniting the two brands, we are better positioned to get ahead of the rapid technological evolutions close on the horizon,” says Ive. “Both companies can grow together with a stronger foundation.”

From PR:

The early seeds of the merger are already bearing fruit, with new business projects secured which combine Futuresource’s unique consumer research with BCC’s robust sector expertise.

Other key areas set to benefit from the merger include:

• Enhanced product and service offerings: Thanks to BCC and Futuresource’s complementary research offerings, clients can expect a broader range of services covering more industries.
• Renewed commitment to client success: The merger will reinforce both companies’ commitment to outstanding customer experiences. A newly created Customer Success Team will focus on building strong relationships with clients while providing a space to share regular feedback.
• Streamlined processes: Operating systems and processes will be transformed and simplified to streamline and supercharge efficiencies. This will combat delays, enable smoother transactions, and improve the customer journey.
• Technological innovation: With combined resources and expertise, the merged companies can better leverage cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive continuous improvement.
• Expanded reach: The move will expand the global footprint of both companies, with the unified entity now having combined offices across the UK, USA, and India. This will bring them closer to international clients and strengthen their foothold globally. 

Back in December, display industry specialist Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), which covers the state of the display industry supply chain, was acquired by Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research.

Hopefully this new deal has no negative impact on coverage of the pro display sector, since so few research companies look at it. Yes, there are reports out seemingly every day from Indian research factories, but I mean credible research.

I don’t know BCC in the slightest, but the company seems to crank out a LOT of reports like those research factories in Pune, India, and there is a reference in the leadership bios to the VP Finance also being in charge of “India operations.”

BCC has pushed out more than two dozen reports just this month on wildly different subject areas like water recycling, packaging, medical plastics and industrial furnaces – which is worryingly reminiscent of what the factories produce.

To be fair, we need to wait and see what the blended entity starts pushing out for pro AV. Futuresource had a habit of providing minimal highlights from its reports, when released, but in a complete 180, its show reports from InfoComm and ISE were full of good stuff.