Norstat Acquired, 'To Leave Exchange'

Norwegian investment group Altaria Private Equity has purchased 93% of the shares of fieldwork group Norstat, reports Scandinavian research site SMRN. Altaria aims to buy the remainder and take the company private - it is currently listed on the Oslo stock exchange.

Norstat is one of Scandinavia's best known data collection firms with 1,500 full- and part-time employees on fifteen sites, and 2006 revenue of 145m Norwegian Kroner (c.18,1 MEUR). With representation in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, it owns one of the largest Internet panels in the Nordic region, with more than 140,000 pre-recruited respondents (www.panel.no ).

Altaria says the research firm satisfied its key investment criteria of good growth potential and good management, and aims to 'work with the present management in its ambition to grow within and outside Scandinavia, primarily in online data collection.' Norstat's team includes many who were among the founders ten years ago - all these have now sold all their shares.

Web sites are at www.norstat.no , www.altaria.no/english.aspx and www.smrn.org.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.