Maru Group acquires North America Research and Consulting division of Vision Critical

SOUTHAMPTON, UK – MARU Group has now closed the transaction and acquired Vision Critical’s North American spin off research consulting division, Vision Criticial Research and Consulting. The new business will operate as a standalone entity within MARU Group as maru/vcr&c, under the leadership of the current VCR&C (formally Vision Critical Research and Consulting) executive team. The expertise and success of VCR&C and its people in both insight services and insight technology make them an ideal fit for MARU Group’s continued expansion.

VCR&C join Voice of the Customer specialists Maru/edr in the rapid growth of MARU Group and together will provide the customer intelligence information and insight services firm with expertise in the UK, Canada and US. VCR&C will continue to deliver engaging strategic outputs to its impressive client base of large enterprises through insight communities, as well as support other MARU Group North Amercian based projects.

Ged Parton, CEO of MARU Group explains, "This is an important next step towards our vision to become an truly international insights pioneer. Our focus at MARU Group is to build a new kind of professional services firm with technology at our core. With the acquisition of VCR&C, MARU Group companies will benefit from both advanced technology and research expertise – they’ll play an important part in delivering our client promise of fast and strategic customer insight”.

All current VCR&C employees (approximately 160 people distributed in offices across North America) will retain their roles in the new independent company and continue to serve all exisiting customers.

Shane Wright, MARU Group CTO, comments, "With the acquisition of VCR&C, we’re not only adding to our growing technology ecosystem but we’ve also gained the talent and knowledge of the current VCR&C team. As part of MARU Group, they’ll join others at existing MARU Group companies in becoming a key part of our mission to provide research, insight and advisory services driven by robust yet pioneering technology”.

Following the transaction, maru/vcr&c will work in close collaboration with Vision Critical via a value-added reseller and strategic partner agreement – including the continued support by the VCR&C team in managing future full service end-to-end insight community powered research projects. As independent companies, each will be positioned to excel with their unique yet complementary mandates, united by a shared objective of continuing to deliver world-class customer intelligence to leading brands across the globe.

Ged Parton summarises, "We’re excited by what this latest acquisition brings us – not only are we working with the outstanding talent and strong skillset of VCR&C but it also provides MARU Group with the foundation to grow and expand into new international territories”.

About Maru Group: MARU Group is a technology enabled professional services firm delivering information and insight services. Operating in multiple countries, MARU Group provides research, insight and advisory services to large enterprises across a broad spectrum of industries and markets. Founded in 2016, MARU Group's core area of expertise is providing fast and strategic customer feedback to corporates through a variety of technology platforms. Led by market intelligence industry veteran Ged Parton, MARU Group is backed by Primary Capital Partners LLP, a United Kingdom-based provider of private equity finance for high potential and growth companies.

About VCR&C:maru/vcr&c is a customer intelligence professional services firm with a vision to grow our clients’ business through a unique combination of expertise in Insight Community platforms and sector-specific research consulting. maru/vcr&c consultants have a deep heritage in both strategic insights consulting and disruptive insights technology and bring a unique level of expertise in delivering Insight Communities, community management, and advanced research consulting services to its global client base. Sector-specific consultants tailor community-based solutions to the unique needs of the industries they serve. By leveraging technology to simplify the process of collecting actionable insights, more time is available to focus on the implications and the distribution of intelligence that drives successful business