Nitro/Mei Kao alliance shelved

SHANGHAI - Nitro's joint venture deal with highly-rated independent shop Mei Kao has fallen through, three months after it appeared close to coming to fruition.

Nitro China CEO Wei Wei Chen (pictured) confirmed that the agencies are no longer in talks. "It's like finding a marriage," said Chen. "Sometimes you just don’t match."

However, Chen pointed out that Nitro is continuing its search to identify the right local partner in the mainland.