SPAR Group Acquires Ehrhart-Babic

SPAR Group Acquires Ehrhart-Babic

Lou Babic, a pioneer in the Market Research Industry, hasannounced his retirement. Lou has contracted with SPAR to acquirethe Ehrhart-Babic companies, thus providing uninterrupted service toEhrhart-Babic's many clients.

Lou said "the synergy between SPAR and Ehrhart-Babic's servicesand people, along with the close proximity to SPAR's headquarters inTarrytown makes this an easy transition for everyone." Bill Bartels,Senior Vice President SPAR Corporate, added "this is a terrificopportunity for both companies, expanding our total services and thusproviding added value to our combined client base. By using SPAR's3,000 in-store representatives who merchandise and audit over 20,000stores monthly, synergistic opportunities abound. Ehrhart-Babic's CDROM - based interactive data delivery system will be merged withSPAR's technology with plans to have their sales reporting andin-store audit systems on the INTERNET."

Ehrhart-Babic's services include: NRTI, an in-store tracking of on andoff shelf activity in over 8,800 stores across supermarket, drug,convenience and mass merchandising stores. Their NABEX audit wasthe first and still is the definitive survey for the alcohol beverageindustry, covering both off-premise retailers as well as on-premiseoutlets like restaurants and taverns. In addition, the company doesconsiderable work in retail test marketing.