The Glass & Glazing Federation has acquired the brand and other assets of Palmer Market Research, which for almost 40 years provided research and reports on the window, door and related products sectors. Included in the deal, the GGF has purchased the Palmer Market Research brand, its back catalogue and such devices as the research methodology.
Established in 1982 by Robert Palmer, ‘Palmer Reports’ provided the glass and glazing industry with a series of research documents upon which thousands of new products have been prepared for market. With little to contradict the information contained in dozens of publications that recorded and predicted trends for every key product category and market segment, Palmer was hugely influential over the years.
Following the retirement by Robert Palmer in 2017, a profound vacuum has been felt by marketeers, business owners and executives throughout the window, door and glass sectors that Palmer covered so comprehensively for almost four decades. The acquisition by the GGF adds to the recent publication of its Group Market Knowledge Report, compiled from FENSA installation data recorded since January 2018, data input from British Fenestration Ratings Council (BFRC); and with insights provided by GGF experts, to add to the organisation’s mission to become a key source of supporting research for the glass and glazing industries.
“Palmer Market Research has long been a key source of market data for the industry, with the later reports still widely used to form opinion and strategy by many businesses and professional organisations,” said Anda Gregory, Chief Development Officer for GGF Group. “The excellent reputation still held by Palmer, coupled with the methodology used to put the research together and an extensive library and back catalogue, led us to bring the company into the GGF fold. It brings a further key asset into the GGF Group’s commitment to becoming a highly dependable source of factual data and research for the glass and glazing industries.”
GGF Group Managing Director John Agnew added: “The addition of Palmer Market Research to the GGF Group will add to the FENSA Knowledge Hub that will be launched early in 2022, which will provide on-demand installation data for members and through a subscription service. This will be a powerful addition to what will be bi-annual Group Market Knowledge Reports, all of which will benefit from the Palmer acquisition.”
Robert Palmer said he was delighted that the GGF was continuing his work: “In our discussions the GGF has shared its plans to become a major source of research and data for all sectors of the glass and glazing industry and will build upon the ethos by which Palmer Reports were produced for almost 40 years. I have been most impressed. To produce such material in the current era requires significant resources and commitment and I believe the GGF has those in abundance.”
John Agnew advised that prior to the data being transferred with the acquisition, it was requested that all company data showing business performance was anonymised to provide reassurance to businesses over the use and security of their data. GDPR regulations are strictly followed for all data processed and published by the GGF: “We always follow the strictest guidelines to ensure GDPR compliance,” insisted John. “Within these rules, we believe it is our duty and responsibility as the primary group of representative organisations for the UK glass and glazing industries, to provide our members with the tools to be competitive in increasingly tough markets.”
Anda Gregory summed up “Our intention is to take the very best of the Palmer Report and the insight and valuable data it gave to our industry, and combine it with our existing Group’s knowledge and expert insight, to produce a way for companies in our industry to understand what’s happening in the market in a modern, relevant and easy-to-digest way.”