MUMBAI: Japanese media and advertising group Dentsu has acquired London-based online advertising exchange Adjug for an undisclosed amount.

Adjug investor Tomorrow Focus has sold 35.86 per cent to Dentsu while retaining 20 per cent in the ad exchange company. In 2009 Tomorrow Focus had increased its holding in Adjug to 56 per cent.

Dentsu is looking to strengthen its New York-headquartered digital technology division IgnitionOne and has given it an 80 per cent stake of AdJug.

Adjug was founded in 2007 by former Gumtree and eBay senior executive Michael Stephanblome and co-founder of pay-per-click ad pioneer Espotting Satish Jayakumar. The company will continue to be run by its founders

The acquisition by Dentsu, which also holds a stake in French advertising giant Publicis Groupe, is just another move by the Japanese advertising giant, as it looks to strengthen its digital capabilities.

Earlier, Dentsu acquired Steak Digital in June, another London-based digital agency network. Also, in January, it bought out Dusseldorf-based digital creative agency Social Thinkers.

Dentsu and US marketing services giant Omnicom have been considered as the front-runners to buy-out UK-based media buying business Aegis Media, if the sale comes up.