IC Ag Research Firm Kleffmann Group Reports Successful Year

Kleffmann Opened Office in Iowa City in 2008

Kleffmann Group, the world leader in agricultural market research, has once again grown this year. In 2009, the group's turnover will increase by 5.2% to 28.5 million USD despite the tough times the market research industry has encountered as a whole. Due to this progress, Kleffmann Group continues to strengthen their position as the global market leader. On the country level, decreasing revenues in the USA and a stable business in Europe have been countered by considerable increases in Asia, Australia and South America.

The forecast for 2010 is positive. "We have planned a budget with a 10% increase from last year", says Burkhard Kleffmann, CEO of the company.

Further growth is expected to be realized mainly through panel studies with key business opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe. Kleffmann: "We are pleased that, in this region, we have won over 80% of the possible crop protection and seed customers with our AMIS system." For 2010, Asia and Canada will be focal points. Here, the global alliance with XS, Inc. - North Carolina, one of the leading American software and technology companies for point-of-sale surveys - will bring innovation and further growth.

"North America will be one of our core regions next year in which we will invest in our panel activities," Lars Schobinger, COO of Kleffmann Group, explains. "We will reinvest our profitable results and finance our own growth activities to, yet again, strengthen our equity capital base. As a highly specialized consulting company competing with common market research conglomerates, we anticipate good opportunities for future growth."