Circana Buys Golf Retail Data Firm

Consumer data giant Circana, which was formed following the merger of IRI and The NPD Group, has agreed to acquire independent MR firm Golf Datatech, which tracks golf retail activity across the US, the UK, Sweden, France and Germany.

IRI and NPD merged in 2022, promising clients 'a view of total retail purchasing and consumption trends powered by advanced, predictive analytics' on IRI's Liquid Data technology platform. The Circana name was adopted in March last year, and since then the firm has announced partnerships with Zappi, The Trade Desk, commerce intelligence platform MikMak and InfoSum.

Golf Datatech monitors and reports on sales, inventory, pricing, distribution and consumer behavior in golf retail, and the buy will enhance Circana's existing sports tracking expertise and insights, broadening its coverage of the US golf market to include all major channels of retail sales, including golf specialty, green grass shops, mass retailers, sporting goods and e-commerce. After the closing of the acquisition - expected to be in March this year - the firm will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Circana, while its data assets will be integrated into Liquid Data. Financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

Circana President and CEO Kirk Perry (pictured) comments: 'Golf Datatech's market leadership, combined with Circana's existing capabilities, will provide clients with a more comprehensive view of the market and unmatched insights to drive their growth. This acquisition supports our strategy of providing clients with a complete view of the customer, store, and wallet across categories and geographies'.

Tom Stine, Golf Datatech co-founder and one of its three principal partners, adds:'When Golf Datatech was founded in 1995, there was very little on-/off-course data available. Over the last nearly 30 years, we have carved out a unique place in the global golf industry providing unbiased insights, and we look forward to bringing our expertise and proven track record of success to Circana to be able to offer more valuable insights and solutions to clients around the world'.

The companies are online at www.circana.com and www.golf-datatech.com .