For the last 100 years, NIQ has been the driving force behind consumer intelligence.
See how we’ve moved measurement forward for industries and economies across the globe.
Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr.
1923
Engineer Arthur C. Nielsen borrows $45,000 to start a business that will test the performance of industrial manufacturing machines. This business would become NielsenIQ.
August 24, 1923
The A.C. Nielsen Company is incorporated in Chicago, Illinois.
1927
A.C. Nielsen conducts its first Market Survey on behalf of a leading steel producer.
1931
A leading pharmaceutical company hires NIQ to collect sales volume and product assortment data from drug stores in New York City.
Retail data, 1931
1931
Consumer sales measurement expands to soda fountains.
1933
NIQ becomes—officially and exclusively—a consumer intelligence provider during the Great Depression.
Retail data, 1931
1934
Food and department store sales indexes debut.
1934
A Client Service department is formed to help customers maximize the value of consumer data.
1935
Arthur C. Nielsen coins the concept of Market Share when explaining sales patterns.
Store audit, 1936
1936 – 1938
Retail coverage expands to general stores and liquor stores.
1939
First international office opens in Oxford, UK.
Integrity has been central to our business from our founding. The Nielsen Code, 1928.
1944
NIQ expands to Canada.
1947-48
Consumer and Pharmaceutical indexes launch.
NIQ’s charting department creating early data visualization
1948
NIQ expands to Australia.
1948
Art Nielsen Jr. champions the company’s investment in Univac 1, the first commercial computer to attract widespread public attention.
AC Nielsen’s Bill Swigart with the UNIVAC II, 1954
1952-54
NIQ expands to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and New Zealand.
1955
NIQ expands to Ireland and establishes European operations in Switzerland.
Store audit, 1936
1956
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin becomes home to NIQ’s first branch operations facility.
1957
Arthur Nielsen Jr. becomes company President.
Art Nielsen, Jr. receives the keys to the company from his father, 1957
1957
NIQ establishes a coupon clearing house in the U.S., streamlining couponing for manufacturers and retailers.
1957
NIQ expands to Sweden.
Coupon clearing house paves the way for modern Retail Media
1958
Company stock is publicly offered
1958
NIQ launches a new product innovation service as manufacturers broaden product lines.
1959 – 1963
NIQ expands to France, Japan, Luxembourg, Austria, and Italy.
NIQ training in the 1960s
1963
Arthur C. Nielsen Sr. receives the Parlin Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of marketing research.
1973
Global headquarters opens at Nielsen Plaza in Northbrook, Illinois.
Junior and Senior break ground on Nielsen plaza in Northbrook, Illinois
1974
NIQ scans its first barcoded product, a pack of gum.
1977
NIQ pioneers scanning of retail store universal product codes (UPCs) in the U.S.
1980
NIQ launches its first consumer panel, Scantrack.
1984
The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation acquires Nielsen.
Client service established in 1935 to help customers maximize value from our data.
1982
NIQ introduces technology for consumers to transmit purchase data via household phone lines.
1988
Cash slip methodology expands coverage to discount supermarkets.
A Panelist’s Handheld Scanner and Membership Mug
1988
NIQ introduces hand-held scanners for panelists to record UPC-coded purchases.
1988
Shelf space and display management solution launches.
1993
NIQ becomes the first to offer scanning-based information from warehouse clubs in the U.S.
Company retreat at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1994
1994
Consumer Panel launches in Western Europe.
1994
NIQ acquires SRG, the market research leader in Asia.
Former CEO Susan Whiting with Art Nielsen, Jr.
1994
NIQ establishes joint venture with Amer World Research in Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, expanding global footprint to 76 countries.
1994
The U.S. Hispanic Consumer Panel launches, in addition to 15 global panel markets.
Art Nielsen, Jr. visits an office in 2002.
2017
NIQ unveils the FMCG industry’s first truly open, cloud-based and highly scalable technology platform
2021
Advent International acquires NielsenIQ and Jim Peck is named CEO.
Jim Peck
2021
NIQ acquires new product attribute data capabilities and the largest product metadata platform globally.
2021
NIQ launches NielsenIQ University, a 12-week undergraduate training program designed to develop the next generation of diverse data analytics, insights, and business intelligence leaders.
NIQ University Class of 2022
2021
NIQ acquires a world-class revenue growth management platform.
2021
NIQ sets the pace for omnichannel measurement with three key acquisitions that drive significant value to NielsenIQ’s e-commerce and omnichannel measurement solutions
2022
NIQ acquires and launches NIQ Activate, a collaborative platform powering retailers and brands to go from data to insights to activation
2022
NIQ announces a strategic investment in Fetch Rewards to further consumer-sourced measurement
2022
NIQ acquires market-leading on-premise BevAl measurement capabilities
NIQ combines with GfK, 2023
2023
NIQ and GfK complete our combination, creating the world’s preeminent consumer intelligence company.
Follow along with us for the next 100
Sign up for our the IQ Brief, our insights newsletter.
By clicking on sign up, you agree to our privacy statement and terms of use.