MARKET research firm Mori has secured its future as an independent organisation after changing financial backers.

The group, which employs 400 people in the UK and Ireland, has been supported by venture capital group 3i since a management buyout four years ago.

But it has been announced that 3i sold its 49 per cent stake to Isis Equity Partners in a deal that values the group at £55m.

This ends uncertainty over the future of Mori. Senior executives agreed to sell the company in June after receiving a number of approaches from potential buyers.

Mori, best known for its opinion polls and consumer surveys, will continue to be controlled by its management and staff, who hold a 51 per cent stake.

Brian Gosschalk, chief executive, said: "We are very pleased to have achieved a deal which allows Mori to retain its independence and stay true to the values on which our success has been built."

Mori is the largest independently owned market research company in the UK, with offices in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin. While Mori's activities range from financial studies to surveys on teenagers' opinions.,