IWSR joins WGSN in move that reshapes drinks data landscape
Beverage alcohol’s go-to data source IWSR has been acquired by consumer trend forecasting giant WGSN.
IWSR, one of the world’s leading sources of alcohol consumption insights, has been acquired by consumer trend forecaster WGSN. The deal sees IWSR change hands from Bowmark Capital, the private equity firm that acquired the business in 2021, to WGSN, itself backed by funds advised by Apax Partners.
Though financial terms remain undisclosed, the significance of this acquisition lies less in numbers and more in the marrying of two complementary capabilities: IWSR’s granular lens on the alcohol sector and WGSN’s broader consumer trend expertise. Or, as WGSN’s chief executive Carla Buzasi put it, the aim is to “illustrate the transformative power unleashed when data science and human expertise are combined.”
What’s in a forecast?
For over half a century, IWSR has quietly underpinned the decision-making processes of many of the biggest names in beverage alcohol, with a client list exceeding 250 companies across more than 160 countries. From tracking the rise of Tequila in the US to decoding India’s seemingly insatiable appetite for Scotch, its influence is rarely shouted about but widely felt. The global alcoholic drinks sector, now estimated at US$1.2 trillion, is hardly short on competition, but few firms command the same degree of trust when it comes to interpreting it.
Recent IWSR forecasts underline this relevance. Despite global beverage alcohol volume falling by 1% in 2024, value rose by the same margin, a nod to premiumisation in markets like China and the US. Developing economies, however, are stealing the show: India grew 6% in volume and 9% in value, while South Africa saw a 10% rise in value. In Brazil, premium beer, RTDs and brandy helped lift overall category value by 5%.
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Even non-alcoholic drinks, long considered an afterthought, are surging. Non-alcoholic beer is up 9% in volume and poised to surpass ale globally.
Why this deal matters
In practical terms, IWSR’s absorption into WGSN means deeper integrations of long-term consumer behaviour predictions into the world of alcohol brand strategy. It also reflects a broader industry trend: the increasingly blurry boundary between fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and the sort of high-resolution, tech-led forecasting tools more commonly associated with Silicon Valley.
Julie Harris, IWSR CEO, described the deal as “a major milestone” that allows the firm to “accelerate our next phase of growth with the support and scale of WGSN.” That phase includes ambitions to deepen its presence in long-range forecasting, a capability WGSN has spent three decades refining, most recently with the launch of its own Food & Drink platform in 2020.
The Bowmark years
Bowmark, for its part, exits the business having seen IWSR triple its revenue and profits over the last four years, underpinned by investments in both technology and product diversification. Fiona McCormick, partner at Bowmark, spoke of the firm’s pride in having supported the company’s “growth through product innovation, investment in technology and enhancement of its client proposition.”
Behind the investment-speak lies a real evolution: IWSR has broadened from an export data specialist to an expansive analytics platform, complete with consumer insight tools, on-trade value data and a global forecasting suite.
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