Continental Europe's leading online dating agency Meetic said on Monday it was close to concluding a friendly takeover of British peer, DatingDirect.

Date: 2007-01-09

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"This accord should be finalised in the course of January 2007, following the lifting of the last suspensive clauses," Meetic, which is based near Paris, said in a statement.

Meetic founder and chairman Marc Simoncini said the takeover would allow the company to enter the U.K. market without the need for an expensive brand building campaign.

"Thanks to this acquisition we will have conquered in less than five years the leading position on most of the international markets on which we operate," Simoncini said in a statement.

The group, already present in 14 European countries and China and Brazil, planned to expand further in 2007, he added.

Meetic had sales in 2005 of 43 million euros. It is due to publish final 2006 figures on February 13. DatingDirect had sales in 2006 of 16 million euros, Meetic said.

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