The NPD Group Inc., a leading provider of consumer and retail information, recently announced the integration of the people and products of Current Analysis West under The NPD Group brand umbrella. New senior leadership roles were announced at the same time.

NPD acquired Current Analysis West, from Current Analysis in May 2007. It operated the business independently through late December.

With the integration, NPD offerings now include its flagship products -- consumer and point-of-sale (POS) information with extensive category coverage -- as well as causal data, which includes competitive pricing, promotions and share of shelf, formerly marketed under the Current Analysis West brand.

The new organization will be led by Peter Greene, VP and General Manager, reporting to Dennis Brown, Group President for NPD. Reporting to Peter Greene will be:

• Bob Goodwin, VP Sales;
• Elaine Noone, VP Client Development;
• Stephen Baker, VP Industry Analyst;
• Ross Rubin, Director Industry Analyst;
• Shigeru Ohira, Director Asian Business Development.

Also reporting to Dennis Brown: Patrik Schmidle, formerly Vice President, Operations and Product Management for Current Analysis West. He will lead the San Diego IT/Engineering team

Rich Alires, previously Executive Vice President for Current Analysis West, moves to DisplaySearch, an NPD Group Company acquired in October 2005. DisplaySearch is a leader in display market research. Alires will lead their sales efforts.

“This integration allows us to offer an enhanced level of information and insight to the industry,” said Dennis Brown. “As we come together, we will more fully realize the synergies of our complementary product offerings, and position NPD to continue to evolve with the industry.”

“The NPD Group is committed to providing quality client service, so we are working to ensure there is a seamless transition,” said Peter Greene. “This transition will allow NPD to execute against its new plan and structure, combining the talent of both organizations.”

This marks the second time that the La Jolla-based market and competitive intelligence operation has been integrated with an acquiring company. Founded in 1992, ARS, Inc. focused on the PC, electronic imaging, wireless, and consumer electronics industries in the US, Europe, and Asia. It was acquired by Current Analysis in 2002.

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