In first phase proceedings the Bundeskartellamt has cleared plans by Ströer SE, Cologne, to acquire all the shares in OMS-Vermarktungs GmbH & Co. KG, Düsseldorf. The merger project affects the online advertising sector.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: "Although Ströer will be able to expand its leading position among the domestic online marketing companies as a result of the takeover, this merger is not expected to significantly impede competition in the sector. Even after the transaction advertising customers and customers of agency services will still have sufficient possibilities to switch providers, some of which are large internationally active companies. Moreover, the online advertising sector is currently undergoing a significant process of change, in which the fully automated trading of online advertising space is becoming increasingly important."

The purchasing company, Ströer, originally a nationally active outdoor advertising provider, has developed a wide range of activities in online advertising over the past years particularly due to a number of acquisitions. OMS-Vermarktungs GmbH & Co. KG is a fully-owned subsidiary of OMS Online Marketing Service GmbH & Co. KG, a joint undertaking of 33 regional daily newspaper publishers and media companies, whose task is to market their online offers. The national marketing of this online advertising space is to be carried out in future by Ströer/OMS-Vermarktungs GmbH & Co. KG.