Inmar Acquires Willard Bishop

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Inmar has acquired Chicago-based Willard Bishop in a deal which executives at both organizations say will deliver "transformative" access to consumer products data, analysis and insights. 

“Through this strategic acquisition, Inmar is taking responsibility for providing the comprehensive access to data analytics and information that will help our industry grow in a rapidly changing digital environment,” said David Mounts, Inmar chairman and CEO. “The innovation enabled by joining Inmar and Willard Bishop will be transformative.”

Jim Hertel, Willard Bishop managing partner, concurred. “Many companies have jumped on the big-data bandwagon. However, there is significant latency in a company’s ability to extract actionable insights from these massive datasets,” continued Hertel. "Inmar’s acquisition combines our 40 years of manufacturer and retailer domain expertise, and our analytical tools, with their intelligent commerce networks and unrivaled processing capabilities. Together we will bring a new level of insight and understanding to the extended value chain, while providing trading partners with a deeper understanding of shopper behavior – all delivered in real-time or near-time.”

Once complete, the combination of Inmar’s real-time data in promotions, supply chain and healthcare, and Willard Bishop’s operational, consulting and strategic expertise in food retailing, will deliver powerful solutions for manufacturers and retailers alike, added Mounts.

Inmar is an established source for its coupon trends and shopper promotion impact reports, while Willard Bishop’s SuperStudy reports provide the most comprehensive information on total store performance, which are further enhanced with its SuperStudy eCommerce report, which also provides comprehensive insights of online grocery shopping.