Spectrem Group Inc., a San Francisco-based consulting firm, has bought Access Research Inc., which specializes in the retirement market.
Terms of the deal, which closed May 29, were not disclosed.
The acquisition beefs up Spectrem's research on older Americans-an area gaining in importance, as the nation's baby boomers start to turn 50.
"This is a logical extension of our own business," said Amy J. Errett, chairman and chief executive officer of Spectrem. Retirement plans have "fueled the largest portion of growth of investment."
Access does extensive research on plan sponsors and participants and performance benchmarks, mostly geared to companies in the pension and 401(k) plan markets.
The research provides insight into such things as buying behavior and what retirees do with rollovers, Ms. Errett said.
Retirement information will continue to be marketed under the Access name, Spectrem said. And Access will remain based in Windsor, Conn.
Kent Novell, executive vice president at Access, will manage operations, reporting to Ms. Errett. Robert G. Wuelfling, who founded Access in 1987 and is CEO, will remain as a consultant.
Spectrem, founded in 1990, is a subsidiary of Tampa-based PSI. Spectrem and PSI, in turn, make up the Financial Services Group of NFO Research Inc.
