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IPT's Tpoll and Integra Up for Grabs
Direct marketing and data group IPT (Interactive Prospect Targeting) is to sell off its UK business, including its research agencies Tpoll and Integra Insight. The firm is already in talks with potential buyers regarding various options for the sale.
The group's troubles became apparent last year when it encountered technology problems in its UK operations, leading to a pre-tax loss of £966,000 for the year to 31 December 2007, compared with a profit of about £3.39m the previous year.
In the autumn, IPT received a takeover approach, but by May this year, the firm said it was no longer in talks about the deal.
Shares in the firm plunged 38% after IPT announced yesterday that it was weighing up all options for its UK operations, including a total sale. The announcement followed a 'strategic review' which concluded that the UK business's poor performance was below management expectations.
IPT also confirmed that it is considering selling French subsidiaries Directinet and NP6, even though it is precluded from remitting any cash from their sale to the UK.
'The group is currently in active discussions with its bank regarding its indebtedness position and considering all other options to enable the group to continue to operate as a going concern,' IPT said in a statement.
IPT, which was established in 1999, offers various services including customer acquisition, e-mail broadcasting, and market research in France and the UK.
In 2007, it purchased MR business Real World Customer Experience Limited, the parent of research firm Tpoll.
Web site: www.ipt-ltd.co.uk .
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