The NPD Group, Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire the retail sales tracking and consumer research businesses of Leisure Trends, the Boulder, CO-based provider of market research for the sports and recreation industries.
Jim Kelley has been named President of Leisure Trends, an NPD Group Company. He will work closely with Mike Kuhl, president of NPD's Sports practice, on integration plans. Charlie Cooper, formerly president of Leisure Trends, will remain working with NPD through year end. All three will report to Dennis Brown.
The transaction is expected to close on or before Oct. 31, 2013.
The NPD Group, Inc. acquisition does not include Leisure Trends' Customer Relationship Management (CRM) business. This business is being spun off as a separate company called Ascent CRM. This new company will be headed by Scott Buelter and will continue to service Leisure Trends' existing CRM clients and contracts.
