Watson Wyatt to buy Dutch consultant

ARLINGTON, Va.—Watson Wyatt Worldwide intends to acquire Watson Wyatt Brans & Co., a Dutch actuarial consultant.

The two firms have maintained a close relationship for many years. In 1999, the Netherlands office of Watson Wyatt merged with Brans & Co., to create Watson Wyatt Brans & Co. Since then, Watson Wyatt Brans has operated as a separate partnership as part of Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

"We are delighted to bring our long-term partner in the Netherlands fully into the Watson Wyatt fold. The Netherlands, with its well-funded pensions system, is a base for many multinational companies and a very important territory for the firm," John Haley, president and chief executive officer of Arlington, Va.-based Watson Wyatt, said in a statement.

The partnership has 180 employees located in five Dutch cities: Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Nieuwegein, Purmerend and Rotterdam. It reported 2006 revenues of about $37 million.

Details of the agreement, expected to be signed during the first quarter of this year, were not disclosed.