P F A Research

What P F A Research does

PFA Research is a privately-held, Cornwall-based market research agency founded in 1991 as Patrick Finch Associates by Gil Patrick and Ian Finch. The firm operates from the Tremough Innovation Centre in Penryn with a small team (1-10 employees) led by Managing Director Robert Rush, supported by Project Manager Beate Galke and an external Chairman (Robert Salvoni) for its panel product. Its core offering is a portfolio of quantitative and qualitative market research services — housing surveys, public consultation, customer profiling, brand and competitor analysis, employee engagement, focus groups, MROCs, telephone, face-to-face, postal and mobile/app-based surveys, plus fieldwork and tabulation — delivered to two primary customer segments: communities and local government (social housing providers, local authorities) and businesses across hospitality, financial services, retail, tourism and digital infrastructure.\n\nThe firm's most strategic asset is the What Cornwall Thinks panel, originally launched in 2011 as Society Cornwall, an Omnibus-style online community of Cornish residents that allows multiple clients to share the cost of a single survey; in 2017 the panel was extended with a mobile app, and in 2019 the firm spun up the Cornwall Business Observatory, an online platform that curates research and statistics about the Cornish economy. The company holds an ISO9001 Quality Management certification, follows the UK Market Research Society Code of Conduct, and is registered with the ICO under UK GDPR / Data Protection Act compliance.\n\nThe business model is project-based, quote-driven B2B professional services, with pricing determined per project based on scope, methodology and sample size, supported by multi-year contracts. Sales are direct via phone, email and website contact forms, complemented by content marketing through a blog, The Researcher newsletter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and the Observatory platform. The firm is founder-aligned and owner-operated with no disclosed external investment or parent company.

Name

P F A Research

Legal name

PFA Research Ltd

Website

https://pfa-research.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PFA Research is a privately-held UK market research agency founded in 1991 and based in Penryn, Cornwall. It delivers quantitative and qualitative research services — surveys, panels, focus groups, MROCs — to local government, social housing providers and regional businesses, anchored by its proprietary What Cornwall Thinks resident panel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Public consultation surveys
• Customer insight research
• Social housing surveys
• Opinion polling panel

Headquarters

HQ city

Penryn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Market Research Services: PFA Research generates revenue through providing market and social research services to local government, communities, and businesses. Services include housing surveys, public consultation, employee engagement, market analysis, customer profiling, brand research, and product development research. Revenue is project-based and quote-driven for B2B clients.
2. What Cornwall Thinks Commercial Partnerships: The What Cornwall Thinks panel offers commercial partnerships to businesses, media outlets, and organisations seeking to understand Cornwall audiences, providing tailored survey research services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PFA Research is an independent B2B market research agency based in Cornwall that delivers quantitative and qualitative research services to local government, communities, and businesses across the UK. The firm offers housing surveys, public consultation, employee engagement, market and competitor analysis, customer profiling, brand research, and product development research. Its proprietary assets include the "What Cornwall Thinks" resident opinion panel and the Cornwall Business Observatory economic research platform.

Product overview

PFA Research is a market research agency based in Cornwall, UK, offering a comprehensive portfolio of research services for both public sector organisations and businesses. The company's core offerings include the What Cornwall Thinks research panel (an online Omnibus survey panel of Cornish residents) and the Cornwall Business Observatory initiative. Services are delivered through multiple methodologies including mobile surveys, online surveys, customer panels, research communities (MROC), focus groups, telephone surveys, face-to-face interviews, and postal surveys. For local government, services include housing surveys, public consultation, service user analysis, employee engagement, and project evaluation. For business clients, offerings encompass market and competitor analysis, customer profiling and segmentation, customer satisfaction, brand awareness research, product development research, marketing content testing, and buyer behaviour analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• What Cornwall Thinks Panel An online community research panel of Cornish residents who share their views on local issues, operating as an Omnibus survey model where multiple clients share costs; offers commercial partnerships to businesses, media outlets, and organisations seeking insights into the Cornwall population.
• Cornwall Business Observatory An online resource initiated by PFA Research that describes Cornwall's economy and business landscape through curated research and up-to-date statistics, enabling business planning and economic analysis for owners, sector leaders, analysts, and inward investors.
• Public Sector Research Services Research services for local government and social housing organisations including housing surveys, public consultation and opinion surveys, service user analysis, employee engagement and staff satisfaction, and project evaluation.
• Business Market Research Services Research services for private businesses across industries including market and competitor analysis, customer profiling and segmentation, customer satisfaction, brand awareness and reputation research, product and service development research, marketing content testing and tracking, and buyer behaviour and customer journey analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• One in seven (14%) of Cornwall residents surveyed had yet to decide on General Election vote, with 43% voting differently than 2010 - demonstrating detailed polling capabilities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2011Partnered with PFA Research to promote the Society Cornwall panel at the Royal Cornwall Show. CCF supported the launch of the community research panel initiative, understanding the benefits it could provide to organisations, charities, and the wider public of Cornwall.
• Cornwall Air Ambulance TrustminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2011Partnered with PFA Research to support the Society Cornwall panel launch at the Royal Cornwall Show, helping to promote the project and gain initial panel members.
• Coodes SolicitorsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2011Legal firm partner supporting the Society Cornwall panel launch at the Royal Cornwall Show, helping to promote community engagement with the research panel.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IFF Research: UK-based social and market research firm with deep public sector and policy research practice. Highly comparable to PFA's local government and public consultation work, with similar mixed-methodology B2B professional services model.
• BMG Research: UK market research agency with significant public sector and housing/tenant survey work. Closely comparable to PFA's local authority and resident insight services in scale, methodology mix, and customer base.
• DJS Research: Mid-sized UK market research agency offering both quantitative and qualitative services to public and private sector clients. Comparable in size, methodology breadth, and B2B professional services positioning.
• Opinium: UK-based research and polling firm operating a large proprietary online panel and offering consumer, political, and B2B research. Directly comparable online panel plus professional services model.
• Savanta: UK market research agency covering brand, customer, employee, and product research for B2B clients. Comparable offering of mixed quantitative and qualitative services for similar enterprise buyer personas.
• Censuswide: UK-based research agency with proprietary consumer and business panels. Comparable panel-based B2B market research model with similar methodology stack and customer mix.

Emerging players

• Survation: UK polling and market research firm specialising in political, public, and consumer research. Comparable public opinion and survey methodology, though with stronger national political polling focus than PFA.

Broad incumbents

• YouGov: Global online market research and data company operating a large proprietary panel. Overlaps with PFA's panel-based B2B research but operates at far greater scale across multiple geographies and sectors.
• Ipsos: Global market research and public opinion firm with significant UK operations. Competes for the same B2B research and public sector briefs as PFA but offers far broader portfolio, geographic reach, and resources.
• Kantar: Global market research and insights firm with major UK presence covering consumer, brand, and public sector research. Overlaps with PFA's market and customer insight services for business clients but at substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pfaresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pfa-research-ltd

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about P F A Research