By Simon Zekaria
Pearson PLC said Saturday that it is in talks over the potential
sale of its 50% stake in the The Economist Group, just days after
the U.K.-based publisher and education specialist agreed to sell
its Financial Times newspaper.
Responding to recent press speculation, the publisher said:
"Pearson confirms it is in discussions with The Economist Group
Board and trustees regarding the potential sale of our 50%
share."
It added, "there is no certainty that this process will lead to
a transaction."
Pearson said Thursday it would sell FT Group, which includes the
Financial Times newspaper, to Nikkei Inc. of Japan for GBP844
million ($1.32 billion).
A sale of its non-controlling stake in The Economist Group--a
well-known business publishing group--would mean Pearson was
jettisoning two of its flagship media assets to sharpen its focus
on its core education businesses.
In February, Pearson said The Economist's circulation was 1.6
million.
Write to Simon Zekaria at simon.zekaria@wsj.com
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