ACNielsen and SPINS Expand Coverage of Fast-Growing Natural Products Industry; Exclusive Information Service Adds Account-Level Analysis, New Product Categories

Business Wire, March 22, 2005

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. & SAN FRANCISCO -- ACNielsen U.S. and SPINS today announced the expansion of SPINSscan Conventional, the most comprehensive information service tracking sales of natural and organic products across grocery, drug, and mass merchandise retail outlets. For the first time, retailer-specific analysis of natural and organic product sales will be available from the service, and the number of categories tracked will nearly double.

SPINSscan Conventional utilizes UPC-coded data from ACNielsen organized by the categories and brands found in the SPINS Product Library of natural, organic and sustainable products. Under the service expansion, account-specific analysis will be available, enabling clients to monitor the performance of their brands or the natural products business as a whole in each of more than 60 retailers. In addition, the number of categories tracked by the service will grow from 40 to more than 70.

Patrick Dodd, head of marketing for ACNielsen North America, said, "We are very pleased to provide the CPG industry with an even more detailed view of the fast-growing natural and organic products marketplace. There are a number of factors - from the government's new Food Guide Pyramid to greater consumer awareness of food ingredients - that are combining to drive up interest in natural products. We are very pleased to be collaborating with SPINS to provide our clients with the most authoritative read on this important sector."

Tony Olson, CEO of SPINS, said, "The natural and organic products sector continues to be one of the real bright spots for the CPG industry. This expanded service should help spur further growth by enabling manufacturers of natural and organic products and the retailers who sell such products to make better fact-based marketing, merchandising and business decisions."

ACNielsen U.S. and SPINS have collaborated since 1997 to provide the CPG industry will the most complete measurement of the natural products marketplace. For more information, contact Mike Movitz, SPINS' director of sales, at 847-229-0392.

About ACNielsen

ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the world's leading marketing information provider. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the unit provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behavior. Clients rely on ACNielsen's market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns. For more information, visit www.acnielsen.com.

About SPINS

San Francisco-based SPINS was founded in 1995 as the first company to offer natural products movement data to the industry. Today, it is the premier provider of industry reporting and consulting services for this rapidly expanding sector. SPINS' comprehensive offering includes retail measurement services, content-based reporting, consumer information and consulting services. For more information, visit www.spins.com.

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