Market & Opinion Research International - better known throughout the polling and research industry by its acronym MORI - is to be acquired for £88 million ($154.9m; €127.8m) by Paris-headquartered global research giant Ipsos.

Of the purchase price, £25m will be used to repay MORI's borrowings, while management and employee stockholders will receive Ipsos shares to the value of £5m.

Private-equity firms Isis Equity Partners and Caledonia Investments, will take a cut of £18.6m between them, roughly doubling their investment in the company in March last year.

But not only investors and senior executives will benefit from the takeover. In an all too rare instance of corporate enlightenment, MORI staff will share in a £27.4m cash bonanza, thanks primarily to life president Sir Robert Worcester who founded the company in 1969.

Kansas-born Worcester became a UK citizen in 2004 and his iconic status in the research industry earned him a knighthood earlier this year.

He will receive £9m from the sale, while the remaining staff and management, including ceo Brian Gosschalk, will share £18.4m between them - of which Gosschalk will receive £2.75m.

Data sourced from independent.co.uk; additional content by WARC staff