The German publishing giant said the sale, which has already been approved by the supervisory bodies of both companies, is expected to boost Bertelsmann's net income by around 1 bln eur.

The cash raised from the deal will be used to repay some of the bank loans taken out to finance the acquisition of the 25 pct stake in Bertelsmann's own share capital that had been held by Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL), the holding company of Belgian financier Albert Frere.

'This transaction underscores Bertelsmann's continued commitment to the deleveraging strategy,' the German firm said in a statement.

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