Britain's DJS Goes Employee-Owned

Twenty years to the day from its launch, North of England firm DJS Research has announced it is now an employee-owned business.

The company says it is now one of 500+ employee-owned businesses in the UK and one of three market research companies*, and believes the move 'will ensure it stays firmly in the hands of the employees who have driven its success and who champion its values and vision for the future'.

The business has until now been owned by founders Danny and Ali Sims, but has grown steadily with offices now in Stockport and Leeds as well as a growing network of permanent remote-working staff. DJS has worked closely with the Employee Ownership Association (EOA) to prepare for the transition, which sees all employees become majority owners from today.

The company's leadership will remain largely unchanged: Alasdair Gleed, a DJS Research Board Director for more than a decade, will take over as Managing Director, while company founder and current MD Danny Sims becomes Chairman. Sims comments: 'We are so proud of the company we have created and how it has grown and evolved, and it's really important that we protect its legacy and ensure it remains independent for many years to come. Employee ownership is a way to do this: it's progressive and forward-thinking and offers a way to give back to our incredible and talented workforce who have made DJS Research everything it is today... We will continue to listen to our staff even more than before and deliver excellent research, while showing our clients the value of an employee-owned company through everything we do'.

'Businesses that give employees a stake and a say build trust and shared responsibility', says Deb Oxley OBE, Chief Executive of the Employee Ownership Association, 'therefore uniting leaders and employees behind a common purpose. This leaves the business in a better position to flex and adapt for the future'.

The company also thanks Brabners (Solicitors) and Clarke Nicklin (Accountants) for helping with the transition. A video about the move can be viewed on the firm's web site at www.djsresearch.co.uk/content/page/employee-ownership .


* the others appear to be BritainThinks and The Nursery - both having made the move in 2020 - but if we're missing someone and there's been a miscount please let us know! Prominent US firms in the category include Hotspex and Burke, Inc.