Informa Economics (formerly known as Sparks Companies, Inc.) was founded in 1977 and, in 2003, was acquired by Informa plc. Informa Economics is a world leader in broad-based domestic and international agricultural and commodity/product market research, analysis, evaluation and consulting providing services to hundreds of firms, institutions and trade organizations worldwide.
Informa Economics, Inc., with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, and offices in Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis/St. Paul, serves as the operational core of the Group’s global operations. Offices outside the United States include Informa Economics Canada in Winnipeg, Informa Economics FNP in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Informa Economics CEAS in Brussels, Belgium, and London, United Kingdom. A new piece of the company’s global expansion plan is a growing network of global affiliates that provide expertise and knowledge regarding markets, industries, and policies in their local areas. The staffs in all of Informa Economics’ offices work with and support each other on a daily basis in the collection of data, analysis of markets and policies, and execution of management consulting projects.
The affiliated companies increase the geographic reach and effectiveness of gathering information, conducting analysis and delivering the Group’s products and services. Informa Economics’ global affiliates include AGRO T.E.C.E.I. in Argentina, SovEcon in Russia, and Polyresource International in China. Agreements with additional affiliates are being finalized and will be announced at a later date. The initial thrust of the company’s affiliate program lies in two areas: (1) country/region specific crop area, condition and production estimates reports; and (2) country/region specific commodity market services. The affiliates also collaborate with the rest of the Group on management consulting studies.