OFT refers Friends Reunited acquisition to Competition Commission

by Fiona Ramsay, marketingmagazine.co.uk 02-Nov-09, 18:21

LONDON - The OFT has referred the anticipated acquisition of Friends Reunited by Brightsolid Group to the Competition Commission over fears it is anti-competitive.

Brightsolid, which runs websites Find My Past.com and 1911 Census.com, and Friends Reunited which owns Genes Reunited.com, are two of the three largest suppliers of online genealogy services in the UK.

Currently, the merging firms both compete with Ancestry.co.uk, the market leader, for these services.

The proposed acquisition would see the three main providers of online genealogy services reduced to two, and the OFT is concerned this could lead to a reduction in choice or service for consumers.