Bertelsmann is in talks with Amazon.com and other companies to sell its loss-making Internet bookseller BOL, an industry source has confirmed.
"There is contact with Amazon but also with other competitors," the source said, adding the talks had not progressed to a negotiation stage yet.
The source said Bertelsmann also wants to put its US Internet bookseller Barnesandnoble.com up for sale. It owns the company with high street bookseller Barnes & Noble, although this is not a high priority.
However, the source dismissed a report in the Financial Timestoday that Bertelsmann also wants to sell its BeMusic subsidiary.
Speculation that Bertelsmann wants to sell BOL was sparked by a report on Manager Magazine's online edition over the weekend. It said the decision comes as Bertelsmann has grown tired of the persistent losses at BOL, which amounted to 30 million euro last year.
BOL is the market leader in The Netherlands and Scandinavia and the number two in Germany.
In a statement, Bertelsmann said it did not comment on market rumours.
PA