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Globalization

The opening of the first subsidiary outside Germany in 1968 started the process of the internationalization of GfK. By its 50th jubilee in 1984, the company had grown considerably: the 29 employees of 1954 had meanwhile grown to a healthy 625 working in the offices and in the field, together achieving sales amounting to DM 107 million, up from the DM 0.4 million figure 30 years previously.

By 1986, GfK had six subsidiaries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK) and eight participations, of which three were already in New York and Tokyo.

With the collapse of the iron curtain, a presence in a number of new markets was added. In 1990, GfK Polonia became the first Western institute to be established in Poland, to be joined in 1991 by GfK-ČSFR, subsequently relaunched in 1993 as GfK Praha and GfK Slovakia and the same year, a representative office also opened in Moscow.

When the company went public in 1999, GfK was already represented in 37 countries worldwide, including Australia and China.

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