Bureau of Market Research

What Bureau of Market Research does

Bureau of Market Research (Pty) Ltd (BMR) is a South African market research and strategic advisory firm founded in 1960 and formally incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Unisa Enterprise (Pty) Ltd within the University of South Africa (UNISA) Corporate Group in 2019. Headquartered at UNISA's main campus in Pretoria, BMR delivers six core service lines: Economic & Market Intelligence, Population & Public Health Insights, Behavioural & Social Research, Consumer & Financial Behaviour, Surveys/Data Collection & Evaluation, and Strategic Advisory & Integrated Insights. Its proprietary research outputs include the longitudinal Happiness Index, the quarterly Consumer Financial Vulnerability Index, the bi-annual Small Business Growth Index (co-developed with Absa and SACCI), the UASA/BMR Employment Index, sub-place level Population Projections, and the Consumer Market Outlook forecast series.

BMR's underlying technology stack is centred on evidence-based research methods, national survey capability across all nine South African provinces, and proprietary index methodologies rather than software platforms or APIs; no AI/ML systems, integrations, or developer APIs are disclosed. The firm operates the Youth Research Unit (YRU@BMR) and hosts the annual Economist of the Year Competition, which was re-branded under BMR and UNISA in 2022 after many years with Media24. Customer-facing distribution combines direct enterprise field sales to government departments, financial institutions, corporates, development agencies, NGOs and universities with syndicated research publications and co-branded indices licensed to institutional partners.

The business model is professional services: revenue is generated through commissioned research projects, bespoke advisory mandates, and recurring syndicated index publications, supplemented by co-branded reports with partners such as Absa, SACCI, UASA and Momentum. Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed. Governance follows King IV principles, with a three-member board (two non-executive directors), POPIA and PAIA compliance, and voluntary annual audit. Geographic reach centres on South Africa with commissioned research extending across African Union member states.

Name

Bureau of Market Research

Legal name

Bureau of Market Research (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://bmr.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bureau of Market Research is a South African market research and strategic advisory firm, wholly owned by UNISA Enterprise, delivering commissioned research, proprietary indices (Happiness Index, CFVI, SBGI, Employment Index) and strategic advisory to government, financial institutions, corporates and development agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

B2B / Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAM)

Keywords

• Market research services
• Economic intelligence
• Consumer behaviour research
• Strategic advisory services
• Data collection surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Market Research Services: BMR conducts commissioned and syndicated market research for corporate, government, and institutional clients across South Africa and African countries. Revenue is generated through project-based research engagements tailored to client-specific needs in areas including economic intelligence, consumer behaviour, public health, and social research.
2. Strategic Advisory Services: Strategic advisory and integrated insights services that translate research findings into practical strategies, policies and action plans for organisations.
3. Research Reports and Publications: Published research reports available for purchase, including flagship studies such as the Consumer Market Outlook, Personal Income Estimates, Population Projections, and Employment Reports.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bureau of Market Research (BMR) is a market research and strategic advisory firm that delivers commissioned and syndicated research, proprietary indices, and tailored advisory services. Its core offerings span economic and market intelligence, population and public health insights, behavioural and social research, consumer and financial behaviour analysis, surveys/data collection/evaluation, and strategic advisory. The firm publishes flagship indices including the Happiness Index, Consumer Financial Vulnerability Index (CFVI), Small Business Growth Index (SBGI), UASA/BMR Employment Index, Population Projections, and Consumer Market Outlook.

Product overview

Bureau of Market Research (BMR) is a market research and advisory services company operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of UNISA Enterprise. The company offers a portfolio of six core research service lines: Economic & Market Intelligence, Population & Public Health Insights, Behavioural & Social Research, Consumer & Financial Behaviour, Surveys/Data Collection & Evaluation, and Strategic Advisory & Integrated Insights. In addition to these service offerings, BMR produces a range of proprietary research indices and reports including the Consumer Financial Vulnerability Index (CFVI), Small Business Growth Index (SBGI), Happiness Index, Employment Index, and Population Projections. The company also hosts the annual Economist of the Year Competition and operates the Youth Research Unit (YRU) for specialised youth-focused studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Economist of the Year Competition: South Africa's leading economic forecasting platform hosted by BMR, bringing together leading economists to provide forward-looking insights on key economic indicators.

Products and services

• Economic & Market Intelligence Market research service providing understanding of markets, economic trends, forecasting, and change anticipation for organisations.
• Population & Public Health Insights Research service providing insights on population dynamics and public health for better planning and policy outcomes.
• Behavioural & Social Research Research service focused on understanding human behaviour, social dynamics, and societal trends through empirical study.
• Consumer & Financial Behaviour Research service providing insights into consumer financial decision-making, spending patterns, and financial vulnerability.
• Surveys, Data Collection & Evaluation Comprehensive survey design, data collection, and programme evaluation services for research projects.
• Strategic Advisory & Integrated Insights Advisory service translating research findings into practical strategies, policies, and action plans for organisations.
• Economist of the Year Competition Annual economic forecasting competition hosted by BMR and UNISA that brings together South Africa's leading economists to provide forward-looking insights on key economic indicators.
• Consumer Financial Vulnerability Index (CFVI) Quarterly index measuring consumer financial vulnerability based on views from consumer key informants, tracking access to income, expenditure, debt servicing, and savings.
• Small Business Growth Index (SBGI) Bi-annual index developed in partnership with Absa and SACCI providing data-driven assessment of SME health, challenges, and growth outlook across South Africa.
• Happiness Index Annual study monitoring life satisfaction and happiness among South Africans, using six measures including mood, psychological wellness, life satisfaction, locus of control, and consumer trust.
• UASA/BMR Employment Index Index tracking employment performance of the South African economy through five sub-indices including employment growth, production elasticity, unemployment growth, quality of labour supply, and compensation growth.
• Population Projections Detailed population estimates and projections for South Africa by province, district municipality, local municipality, main-place and sub-place levels.
• Consumer Market Outlook Three-year forecast report providing insights into consumer sentiment, spending behaviour, and macroeconomic influences from 2025 to 2027.
• Youth Research Unit (YRU) Specialised research unit conducting studies on South African youth wellbeing, including substance use, online exploitation, and cyberbullying through the YRU@BMR Youth Ambassador Research initiative.

Quantifiable outcome

• Happiness Index tracked over 11 years with 2,005 respondents annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UASAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024BMR co-published the 2024 UASA South African Employment Report and 2nd UASA/BMR Employment Index with UASA, tracking labour market performance through five employment sub-indices.
• University of JohannesburgminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022UJ participates in the BMR/Unisa Economist of the Year Competition, with Professor DF Meyer from UJ contributing analysis of economic predictions. The competition brings together economists from multiple universities and institutions.
• MomentumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020BMR and Unisa partnered with Momentum to publish the Momentum-Unisa Household Financial Wellness Insights 2020 report, providing research on household financial wellness.
• UNISA (University of South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMR is a wholly owned subsidiary of Unisa Enterprise (Pty) Ltd within the University of South Africa Corporate Group structure. BMR operates as an independent market research entity mandated to grow the knowledge-based economy of South Africa and Africa through applied market research. The partnership combines academic rigour with practical expertise.
• AbsacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAbsa Business Banking partners with BMR and SACCI to develop the Small Business Growth Index (SBGI), a pioneering bi-annual index providing data-driven insights on the health, challenges and growth outlook of SMEs across South Africa.
• SACCI (South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACCI partners with BMR and Absa on the Absa/SACCI/BMR Small Business Growth Index (SBGI), providing strategic intelligence for strengthening South Africa's SME ecosystem.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kantar: Kantar (including the former TNS) is a global market research and insights company operating extensively in Africa and South Africa. Directly competes with BMR in consumer research, brand tracking, and syndicated/publication-style research products sold to corporate clients.
• Afrobarometer: Afrobarometer is a pan-African research network conducting public attitude surveys across more than 30 African countries. Directly comparable to BMR's pan-African research ambitions, social/behavioural research capabilities, and university-affiliated positioning, though focused more narrowly on public opinion and democracy research.
• Ask Afrika: Ask Afrika is a South African market research firm specialising in consumer research, brand equity tracking, and syndicated studies such as the Ask Afrika Icon Brands survey. A direct domestic competitor to BMR serving overlapping corporate and government clients with similar service offerings.
• Ipsos: Ipsos is one of the world's largest market research and consumer insight firms with a strong and established presence across Africa, including Ipsos South Africa. Directly comparable to BMR in offering market intelligence, consumer behaviour research, public opinion polling, and social research to government and corporate clients.

Broad incumbents

• Pew Research Center: Pew Research Center is a major non-academic research organisation producing high-quality public opinion, demographic, and social-trend research with longitudinal data assets comparable to BMR's Happiness Index. While not a direct commercial competitor, its research output and methodology benchmark the standard for academic-adjacent research firms globally.
• NielsenIQ: NielsenIQ is a global measurement and data analytics firm offering consumer insights, retail measurement, and media research. While broader in scope than BMR, it competes in the South African market intelligence and consumer-behaviour research space serving financial institutions and corporates.

Emerging players

• GeoPoll: GeoPoll is an Africa-focused mobile survey and market research platform operating across multiple African countries. Comparable to BMR in delivering consumer and social research across African markets, with a differentiated mobile-panel technology model rather than traditional field-research methodology.
• Research ICT Africa: Research ICT Africa is a South Africa-based pan-African research think tank focused on ICT policy, access, and digital economy research. Comparable to BMR's academic-affiliated policy-research model and Africa-wide research footprint, though narrower in sectoral focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/researchhubbmr1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BMR2019
• Facebookfacebook.com/ResearchHubatBMR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bureau-of-market-research-pty-ltd

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Bureau of Market Research