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Independent Retail Database Re-Launched

The Independent Retail Database has been refreshed and relaunched, reflecting the ever-changing landscape of the British High Street.

Compiled and updated from more than 20 years knowledge and experience of the retail sector, this unique file offers the chance to promote to a multi-billion pound sector of the economy, namely independent shops and other outlets. In spite of the troubled economy, this is still a huge potential market. For example The Independent Retailers Confederation alone still has has some 100,000 members.

The file includes the likes of Antique Dealers, Bakers, Clothing, Footwear, Jewellery, Convenience Stores, Newsagents, Tobacconists, Grocers, Newsagents, Toys, Hair, Car Dealers & Garages, Gift, Greengrocers, Dry Cleaners & Laundrettes, Furniture & Furnishings, Computers, Hi-Fi & TV, Photographic & Phones, Music & Instruments, Travel Agents, Estate Agents, Sports Goods, DIY, Garden Centres and many more. There are over 225 separate Retail Headings covering in excess of 255,000 businesses.

An ideal file for mailers such as Producers, Suppliers, Wholesalers, Security, Financial Services, Store Equipment & Stock Control, Legal Services, Charities and many more.

You can find the Independent Retail Database, along with our other B2B files, on the specialist lists page.


Major List Update: Thinking Public Sector

Thinking Data are delighted to announce that the Thinking Public Sector database has just been relaunched with more data available and an extended reach.

The database now covers 175,000 key decision makers across the following areas:

- Central Government/Civil Service
- Criminal Justice
- Further & Higher Education
- Housing Associations
- Local Government
- The Health Service
- Care Homes
- Parish Councils
- Regional Government/Quangos

Thinking Data's Director, Richard O'Hara, comments: "The public sector has been under tremendous pressure in recent times, but the fact remains that it is a highly successful market for companies that manage to tap into it. Recent proposals for changes to the NHS, and the rise of Academy schools, means that the focus of buying power is changing in many organisations, and Thinking Public Sector allows people to access those key contacts."


ThinkingB2B Launched

After a long process of development, Thinking Data are pleased to announce the launch of their new ThinkingB2B database brochure.

This 36-page document will be an invaluable tool for any data buyer or planner, or B2B marketing specialist. It brings all of our main B2B offerings together in one place and provides extensive count information on our main UK business list, including:

- Over 2.5 Million Businesses
- 2.7 Million Senior Decision Makers
- 2,003 Selectable Business Types
- 23 Selectable Business Sectors
- 1.5 Million Telephone Numbers
- 227,000 Company Email Addresses
- 378,000 Decision Makers' Email Addresses


Thinking Data Signs Up

Thinking Data are celebrating the end of their first successful year of trading. Launching in mid-2009, they now offer a wide ranging portfolio of B2B and B2C data, including unique and effective files targeting audiences as diverse as wine buyers, sweepstake players, the hospitality trade, and clubs and associations. To mark this milestone they have now joined the membership of the Direct Marketing Association.

Stephen Cook, Director at Thinking Data, adds “This is something we have wanted since we started Thinking Data. DMA membership stands as a benchmark for quality and integrity in a fragmented data market. We feel it’s important to be seen to stand up for those values.”


New File Launched: Clubs, Associations and Institutes

Thinking Data has launched the Clubs, Associations & Institutes database. This brand new file represents a significant investment in new data sourcing, and is freshly researched and compiled.

The database provides a highly responsive source for targeting clubs, business associations, societies and other membership organisations across the UK. Types of organisation covered range from professional and amateur sports clubs, to social clubs, community centres and youth groups. Along the way, it takes in chess clubs, cycling clubs, women’s clubs, arts and cultural groups, bowling centres, and agricultural societies. The file also provides details of a range of business and enterprise membership organisations.

These bodies provide access to like-minded groups of people who share common interests or activities, and are ideal targets for offers for both their specific interest categories, and for a wide range of more general promotions, such as group travel offers, visitor attractions and venues, fundraising, financial services and insurance, catering, and maintenance services.


New File Launched: Eco: The Green Database

Thinking Data are delighted to announce the launch of an exciting new file. Eco: The Green Database has been built to target consumers who are committed to living a "green" lifestyle, who bring an awareness of global ecological and environmental issues to their everyday lives.

The database covers affluent, active, older individuals who are interested in products and offers which reflect their lifestyle and interests.

Built from a combination of lifestyle and transactional data, Eco uses a diverse range of interests and pastimes to build a complete view of the prospects in question.

Although these issues affect and interest many of us, it requires a certain amount of affluence and free time to seriously commit to this type of lifestyle, and hence the Eco profile tends to be both wealthy and older.

Eco is highly recommended for a wide range of campaigns covering green and ethical products and services. It will also be extremely effective for fundraising campaigns, and other issues connected to nature and the countryside.


Big Drinks All Round for Thinking Data!

Glug! The Wine Buyers Database has now been fully updated and enhanced to include the details of over some 463,000 mail order wine connoisseurs, making it one of the largest files now available in the UK.

Compiled from actual transactional data, Glug! has already proved effective for users including charities, publishers, and upmarket mail order offers in general.

Thinking Data's Director Richard O'Hara comments: "The Glug! Database has almost doubled in size over the last six month, and this huge amount of new data now available makes it and exciting choice for any mailer targeting upmarket consumers. The added volume means it is highly appropriate for larger campaigns, or those which require considerable roll-out potential."


Accommodation, Catering & Venues File Launched

This brand new database of over 227,000 businesses across the hospitality and entertainment sector has been built through our extensive prior experience in this market. The intention is to offer a complete coverage of organisations which provide leisure services to the public (and to other businesses) across the UK, and the file is split into a variety of sub-sections to allow easy targeting of distinct sectors within the industry.

Stephen Cook, Director of Thinking Data, commented: "The timing of this launch is not down to chance. Now is the time of year when many of these businesses will be gearing up for the start of the season, so this is a great opportunity to target them with timely offers and promotions. In the current economic climate, they will be hungry for opportunities to help their businesses grow and thrive."

Accommodation Catering & Venues represents the tenth addition to Thinking Data's rapidly growing portfolio of lists, and will be invaluable for a huge range of promotions, from general business offers to those specific to this sector, including: catering supplies, financial services, security, training, point-of-sale, legal and licensing issues, and related wholesalers and manufacturers.


Business Decision Makers Database

Thinking Data is delighted to announce the launch of our new list of UK Business Decision Makers, targeting over 2.7 million named senior contacts at organisations large and small.

Covering 17 different areas of responsibility, this database builds on our long experience of targeting UK businesses, and makes selecting the right contacts that you need that bit easier.


New File Launched: Insurance Renewal Data

Thinking Data has launched a brand new file of Insurance Renewal Data.

The file contains the details of over 2.7 million home insurance records, and 1.4 million motor insurance records.

All data is selectable by Month of Renewal allowing users to target prospects at the moment when it is most relevant to them.

The database has been compiled over the last few months from transactional information and telephone research to arrive at a particularly fresh and highly responsive file.


New List: Thinking Public Sector Launches

Thinking Data are proud to announce the launch of the new Thinking Public Sector database, targeting senior decision makers in a huge range of UK Public Sector organisations. The file includes have 46,000 individuals across 4,600 organisations, including over 30,000 email addresses.

Thinking Data’s Stephen Cook explains: “Even in the current economic climate, public sector organisations are a good bet as prospects for a wide range of products and services. Equally, as budgets are tight everywhere, they’re always receptive to a great offer.”

Sectors covered include Central Government and the Civil Service, Housing Associations, Local Government, Colleges and Universities, and The Health Service. Decision makers available range from Chief Execs, senior directors, IT, Personnel, Facilities, and many more specialist functions - all of them responsible for large organisations and departments with significant budgets to spend.


Thinking Data Resolves Postal Dispute

Well, not really, but they have found a way round it. The B2B Database: Email is going from strength to strength, with almost 1.4 million records now available. The datacard is here. With another round of postal strikes in the offing, this is a good time to move into the medium, for marketers who haven’t already done so.

But Thinking Data’s Richard O’Hara sounds a note of caution: “Business email tends to be seen as a pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap medium, but it really has to be planned and bought properly like any other data campaign to make it work. And if you neglect the creative aspects of your campaign, the best data in the world isn’t going to save you.”


Three New Consumer Lists Launched

Thinking Data are delighted to announce the launch of three brand new consumer lists. Listed Homes, Players: Sweepstake Competitors and Entrants, and Glug! The Wine Buyers Database are exciting new additions to the market, made up of newly compiled and researched data. See all three datacards here.


Thinking Data Opens for Business

Long-standing data industry stalwarts Stephen Cook and Richard O'Hara have launched a brand new data company, Thinking Data. The company will focus on offering highly responsive lists for postal, telemarketing and email campaigns under their own banner, and expand on data planning and buying opportunities across the wider list market.

Richard O'Hara comments, "Some people will think we must be crazy to start a business in the midst of a recession, but at a time like this it's vital that all companies make their data work as hard as possible for them. Our expertise puts us in an ideal position to help make that happen."

Thinking Data is committed to a series of new list launches in the near future.

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