IWSR is the leading provider of data and intelligence for the $1.2 trillion global beverage alcohol industry. The Company’s products combine 50+ years of proprietary longitudinal market data with consumer insights and cover more than 160 countries.
With offices in London, New York and Singapore, IWSR serves over 250 blue-chip customers representing all the major market participants, including producers, ingredient and packaging manufacturers, investment banks and consultancies.
By combining best-in-class market and consumer data, AI-enabled analytics and on-the-ground human intelligence, IWSR provides its customers with a comprehensive understanding of the global beverage alcohol industry, which is integral to their strategic planning and decision-making processes.
Since Bowmark acquired IWSR in 2021, IWSR has approximately tripled its revenue and profits. As a result of continued investment, the Company has expanded its suite of data and insight products to cover all significant geographies, product categories and sales channels in the global beverage alcohol market and developed an advanced, multi-functional technology platform.
Recent product launches include Bevtrac, an innovative consumer tracking intelligence product, and US Navigator, which provides a granular view of US consumption on a monthly, state-level basis.
IWSR has recently expanded its product portfolio with two exciting launches: a new Global Forecasting suite, offering clients a 10-year outlook into the future of the beverage alcohol market for 31 key markets; and On-Trade Value, a new product providing comprehensive value data analysing prices in bars, restaurants and other on-trade venues in the top 20 markets.
With WGSN’s support, IWSR will be able to accelerate its NPD and growth into long-range consumer forecasting, which has been identified as a valuable opportunity for the brand.
Julie Harris, CEO of IWSR, commented: “This is a major milestone for IWSR and a testament to the enduring value that our data and insights bring to our client base, as well as the progress we’ve made over the past few years. We are deeply grateful for Bowmark’s support and expertise, which was pivotal in enabling us to launch new products and deliver on our growth objectives, helping us to further cement IWSR as the leading provider of data and insights to the global beverage alcohol industry. Now we look forward to building on that foundation and accelerating our next phase of growth with the support and scale of WGSN.”
Carla Buzasi, CEO of WGSN, said: “We are delighted to be able to combine the depth of data and specific market expertise that IWSR possesses with WGSN’s proven trend forecasting capabilities, which have been guiding the world’s biggest brands for almost 30 years. We believe that this move marks an important watershed for both WGSN and the food and beverage industry as a whole, as it illustrates the transformative power unleashed when data science and human expertise are combined.”
Fiona McCormick, partner at Bowmark, commented: “Since 2021, we have supported the IWSR team in accelerating the company’s growth through product innovation, investment in technology and enhancement of its client proposition. With the expertise and reach of WGSN, IWSR is now ideally positioned to capitalise on its unique position in a dynamic market, delivering further value to its customers.”
Mark Sykes, Principal at Apax, added: “IWSR and WGSN are highly complementary businesses, with strong synergies and cross-selling opportunities that will enhance their combined client offering. Congratulations to Carla, Julie, and their teams on reaching this important milestone and we look forward to supporting the continued success of the expanded group.”
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Bowmark was advised by Raymond James (M&A); Stephenson Harwood (Legal); BCG (Commercial); and Deloitte (Financial, Tax and Technology).
WGSN was advised by Arma Partners (M&A); Kirkland & Ellis (Legal); Plural Strategy (Commercial); Crosslake (Technology); and EY (Financial and Tax).
IWSR was advised by Jamieson (M&A) and Simmons & Simmons (Legal).
