NIQ traces its roots to Arthur C. Nielsen, the man who invented market share. For a century his company measured what people bought, aisle by aisle and brand by brand. By 2025 NIQ covered more than 90 countries and about 85 percent of the world's population. It went public in July 2025 as a data company with deep roots, four years after private equity pulled it out of Nielsen.

Spun Out of Nielsen

Nielsen ran two businesses for decades, one measuring TV audiences and one measuring shopping. The shopping side, called Connect, had fallen behind newer rivals. In March 2021 Advent International and the executive Jim Peck bought it from Nielsen. They invested in data and software and built an omnichannel view of shopping. In July 2023 NIQ combined with GfK, the German market research firm. The bet was that brands would pay for one global view of every channel where shoppers spend.

Twenty-One Dollars in Chicago

NIQ priced its IPO at $21 a share in July 2025 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange as NIQ. The company is registered in Ireland and run from Chicago. After the offering, Advent still held a majority of the votes, which made NIQ a controlled company under NYSE rules. NIQ still trades on the New York Stock Exchange.

Cover: Line in Front of the Butcher Shop, Édouard Manet. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for shoppers lined up at a butcher shop (consumer behavior).