Léger (company)

Léger is the largest Canadian-owned market research and analytics company, with more than 600 employees in eight Canadian and US offices.^[1] The company was founded in 1986 by the father and son duo Marcel Léger, former environment minister of Quebec, and Jean-Marc Léger, economist.^[2] Previously, the company was known as Léger & Léger (1986–1996) and Leger Marketing (1996–2013). ^[3] It is now led solely by Jean-Marc Léger.

The firm is headquartered in Montreal, with offices in Toronto, Quebec City, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Vancouver in Canada, and Philadelphia in the United States.^[4] To date, Leger has acquired 12 companies.^[5]

In 1995, Léger & Léger repositioned itself in marketing research and became Léger Marketing.^[6] In 2000, the polling firm announced the acquisition of Criterion Research Corporation of Toronto. It then expanded westward with the acquisition of Criterion (Edmonton) in 2005 and Claros Research (Calgary) in 2006.^[7]

In 2005, Leger conducted the first online surveys in Canada with its Leger Web division.^[8]

In 2007, Leger Marketing entered the American market by acquiring ARC Research, a Philadelphia-based firm.^[9]

In 2010, Jean-Marc Léger became founding president of WIN, a worldwide association of polling firms that includes 75 major independent research firms from 73 countries.^[10] After making several acquisitions to provide Léger Marketing with the technological innovations needed to raise the Quebec company to a world-class position, its founder Jean-Marc Léger feels ready to take the next step: Léger Marketing becomes Léger (Research – Strategy – Consulting) and expands its offer in strategic consulting and advanced statistical analysis.^[11]

In 2012, Léger became a majority shareholder in Agility Metrics, a Montreal-based company built around a cloud computing application for measuring customer experience.^[12] Agility Metrics later became Léger Metrics.^[13] In the same year, Léger – Recherche Stratégie Conseil announced that it had acquired Researchology, a Toronto-based marketing research firm specializing in pharmaceutical research.^[14] In 2013, Léger acquired Ifop North America (located in Toronto), with marketing research experience in the pharmaceutical and consumer goods sectors.^[15]

In 2014, Léger became a minority shareholder and strategic partner of imarklab, positioned as the Canadian leader in interactive marketing intelligence.^[16] By combining traditional marketing research efforts with neuroscience, the imarklab-Léger partnership facilitates better understanding and intervention on customer behaviour across multiple channels of commerce.

In 2018, Léger launched its Leger Analytiques division.^[17] In 2019, Leger completed the acquisition of Vancouver-based National Research Group (NRG), the largest company in Western Canada with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, and Winnipeg. In the same year, Legerweb becomes LEO (Leger Opinion), the largest Canadian online panel with over 400,000 panelists.^[18]

In 2020, Leger acquired SmartPoint Research; a Toronto-based market research firm specialized in the consumer and healthcare sectors. This strategic acquisition enabled Leger to increase the size of its Leger Opinion (LEO) panel, supplement its patient and healthcare professional panels, and broaden its healthcare research service offering.^[19]  

In October 2021, Leger acquired Ressac, a digital performance agency based in Montreal and specializing in media strategy and branded content activation.^[20]

In November 2021, Leger acquired Insights West; a Vancouver-based market research and analytics firm. This was Leger’s second acquisition in less than a month after acquiring digital agency Ressac and its 12th acquisition in total.^[21] 

Notes and references

1. "About". Leger. Retrieved 2021-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
2. "Jean-Marc Léger". Leger. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
3. . June 20, 2013. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2017 – via CNW Telbec.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
4. "Contact Us". Leger. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
5. "LEGER ACQUIRES INSIGHTS WEST". Léger. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
6. http://www.communicationmarketing.org/ressources/nouvelles/grande-entrevue-un-homme-de-son-temps.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
7. "Léger Marketing poursuit sa conquête de l'ouest". Infopresse. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
8. "Sondages Internet: une participation payante?". La Presse (in French). 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
9. "Market Research Companies based in North America | Market Research List". Market Research List. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
10. "WIN reelects Jean-Marc Leger as president | News". Research Live. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
11. "Jean-Marc Léger, PDG de Léger". La Presse+ (in French). 2014-05-24. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
12. "Léger Marketing : une acquisition dans le secteur des logiciels". www.lesaffaires.com (in French). Retrieved 2020-05-08.
13. Marketing, Leger. "Leger Marketing acquires Agility Metrics". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
14. "Leger picks up pharma specialist Researchology | News". Research Live. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
15. Group, Leger, The Research Intelligence. "Leger acquires IFOP North America". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
16. "imarklab partners with Leger and consolidates its leadership position as expert on digital and multichannel consumers | News release | Press room | HEC Montréal". www.hec.ca. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
17. "LesAffaires.com Profil de l'entreprise: Léger". www.lesaffaires.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
18. "Leger acquires NRG | News". Research Live. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
19. "Leger Acquires SmartPoint Research". Leger. 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
20. "Leger Acquires Ressac". Leger. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
21. "Leger Acquires Insights West". Leger. 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2021-11-19.

External links

• Profile of Jean-Marc Léger, November 19, 2021