The Student Room purchases consultancy to launch TSR Insight wing

01 March 2019 Consultancy.uk

Online student community The Student Room has acquired education market research and insight consultancy Vincent Consulting to launch a research division. Rebranded under TSR Insight, the new firm will now expand its research and data services to public and private sector clients.

Founded in 2001, The Student Room is one of the UK’s leading education websites. The site has over three million registered members, primarily aged between 14-24, and according to data from ComScore, over 75% of UK students use the site. The platform, which attracts more than 10 million clicks a month, offers a safe space for students to support each other, and gain advice on their studies, exams and personal concerns.

As well as working directly with most UK universities, The Student Room also counts a wide range of leading brands and companies as clients. It provides its B2B clients a range of advertising, database marketing and content services. As the firm looks to build on this solid foundation, it has completed the acquisition of market research and insight consultancy Vincent Consulting.

Vincent Consulting was established in 2008, after identifying a gap in the market for freelance senior market research and insight professionals with specific experience in the university sector. The firm grew out of an initial goal to support universities who did not have their own market research teams, or who required further capacity, development or senior support. Before its acquisition, Vincent Consulting undertook full-service market research and consultancy for both the public and private sectors, with experience in both UK and international markets.

The two firms had worked together for a number of years, and this latest move has culminated in Vincent Consulting being absorbed into The Student Room, forming new research division TSR Insight. The rebranding of Vincent Consulting will see it expand Student Room’s research, insight and data services in the education, government and consumer sectors, as well as adding a second office in Sheffield to The Student Room’s Brighton head office. TSR Insight will be led by Vincent Consulting’s founder, former Sheffield Hallam University Market Research Manager Julie Vincent, who will hold the role of Research Director.

Pete Barnes, Managing Director at The Student Room, said of the acquisition, “The acquisition of Vincent Consulting is a powerful addition to The Student Room. It will allow us to help our existing and new clients in the world of youth marketing and gain deeper insights into the motivations and concerns of young people. The Student Room is constantly evolving, and I am confident that TSR Insight will be exceptionally well received by the market.”

Commenting via The Student Room’s website, Vincent added, “I’m so happy we are part of the TSR Group and family. The ten years spent growing Vincent Consulting and working with our clients were wonderful, and I’m now ready to build on that with TSR Insight… [Vincent Consulting] has a strong reputation for working collaboratively with our clients, we want them to feel as though we are an extension of their team and in it together. That will very much continue from Vincent Consulting to TSR Insight. Our exclusive access to The Student Room’s community is certainly a USP for us.”