05/06/2025

IWSR becomes part of WGSN, bringing beverage alcohol data analytics and business intelligence to the global market-leader in trend forecasting

IWSR has been acquired by WGSN, the world’s leading consumer trend forecaster, from Bowmark Capital, the mid-market private equity firm that has owned IWSR since 2021. This marks a transformative milestone in IWSR’s journey as the global authority on beverage alcohol data and insights.

This acquisition supports WGSN’s strategy to expand its market-leading trend forecasting capabilities, AI, data analytics and insights across a broad range of consumer industries. Backed by investment from funds advised by Apax Partners LLP, WGSN signalled its ambition with the launch of its Food & Drink platform in 2020. The acquisition of IWSR is a decisive step in providing a holistic solution in this space.

For over 50 years, IWSR has been the trusted partner for the $1.2 trillion global beverage alcohol industry. Today, it serves 250+ blue-chip clients across 160+ countries, combining proprietary market data with consumer insights and analytics to power strategic decision-making.

Since Bowmark’s acquisition, IWSR has tripled its revenue and profits while expanding its suite of data and insight products across all major geographies, categories, and sales channels. IWSR’s advanced multi-functional technology platform now delivers unprecedented intelligence that spans the entire beverage alcohol ecosystem.

With WGSN’s support, IWSR will be able to accelerate its new product development and growth into long-range consumer forecasting, which has been identified as a valuable opportunity for the brand.

Julie Harris, CEO of IWSR, commented: “This is a major milestone for IWSR and a testament to the enduring value that our data and insights bring to our client base, as well as the progress we’ve made over the past few years. We are deeply grateful for Bowmark’s support and expertise, which was pivotal in enabling us to launch new products and deliver on our growth objectives, helping us to further cement IWSR as the leading provider of data and insights to the global beverage alcohol industry. Now we look forward to building on that foundation and accelerating our next phase of growth with the support and scale of WGSN.”

Carla Buzasi, CEO of WGSN, said: “We are delighted to be able to combine the depth of data and specific market expertise that IWSR possesses with WGSN’s proven trend forecasting capabilities, which have been guiding the world’s biggest brands for almost 30 years. We believe that this move marks an important watershed for both WGSN and the food and beverage industry as a whole, as it illustrates the transformative power unleashed when data science and human expertise are combined.”

Fiona McCormick, partner at Bowmark, commented: “Since 2021, we have supported the IWSR team in accelerating the company’s growth through product innovation, investment in technology and enhancement of its client proposition. With the expertise and reach of WGSN, IWSR is now ideally positioned to capitalise on its unique position in a dynamic market, delivering further value to its customers.”

Mark Sykes, Principal at Apax, added: “IWSR and WGSN are highly complementary businesses, with strong synergies and cross-selling opportunities that will enhance their combined client offering. Congratulations to Carla, Julie, and their teams on reaching this important milestone and we look forward to supporting the continued success of the expanded group.”

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Bowmark was advised by Raymond James (M&A); Stephenson Harwood (Legal); BCG (Commercial); and Deloitte (Financial, Tax and Technology).

WGSN was advised by Arma Partners (M&A); Kirkland & Ellis (Legal); Plural Strategy (Commercial); Crosslake (Technology); and EY (Financial and Tax).

IWSR was advised by Jamieson (M&A) and Simmons & Simmons (Legal).

Ends

Media contacts:

For Bowmark:

Jonathan Cook jonathan.cook@h-advisors.global

+44 (0) 773 077 7865

For IWSR:

Ned Vaught Ned.Vaught@theiwsr.com

+44 (0) 7969 794568

For WGSN:

Nik Dinning nik.dinning@wgsn.com

+44 (0) 7986 008186

For Apax:

Gill Corish / Amanda Boateng Gill.Corish@apax.com / amanda.boateng@apax.com

+44 (0) 207 872 6359

About Bowmark Capital

Bowmark Capital LLP (“Bowmark”) is a leading private equity investment firm specialising in technology, data and services companies. Established in 1997, Bowmark manages funds of over £2 billion and has made more than 50 investments. Bowmark’s focus is on four core areas of the technology sector: data and insight, managed IT services, software, and technology-enabled business services. The firm invests up to £300 million per transaction through majority or significant minority stakes in companies with compelling growth prospects, that are seeking a supportive, value-added partner to help them realise their ambitions. With our strategic support and capital, we work in partnership with management teams to accelerate growth and build exceptional businesses. Bowmark Capital LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Find out more at www.bowmark.com and LinkedIn.

About WGSN

WGSN is the global authority on consumer, lifestyle and product design trends, helping brands around the world create the right products at the right time for tomorrow’s consumer. WGSN’s trusted consumer and design forecasts power outstanding product design, enabling our customers to create a better future. Our services cover consumer insights, beauty, consumer tech, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, food and drink forecasting, data analytics and expert advisory.

About IWSR

For over 50 years, IWSR has been trusted by the leaders of global beverage alcohol businesses as an integral part of their strategic planning and decision-making processes. We uniquely combine proprietary longitudinal market data, consumer insights and AI-enhanced data science, with valuable on-the-ground human intelligence in 160 markets worldwide, to decipher what is really happening in the global beverage alcohol market. With access to our data, clients from across the drinks industry, including multinational spirits, beer, and wine businesses; packaging and ingredient manufacturers; distributors; and financial institutions, plan their strategies and future investment with a reliable, consistent and complete understanding of the global landscape.

About Apax

Apax Partners LLP is a leading global private equity advisory firm. For over 50 years, Apax has worked to inspire growth and transform businesses. The firm has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of c.$80 billion. Apax Funds invest in companies across three global sectors: Tech, Services, and Internet/Consumer. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. For further information, visit www.apax.com. Apax is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK.