VNU seeking a buyer for Pagini Aurii

The Dutch group VNU, which owns Pagini Aurii (Golden Pages) and also does business in Romania, is selecting a buyer for its directory unit, VNU Worldwide Directories. The group organised a tender, in the wake of which several companies were short-listed. These include the investment companies Apax Partners, Cinven, BC Partners, Carlyle, and The Blackstone Group, according to some market sources. For organising the selection, VNU resorted to investment banks Credit Suisse First Boston and Goldman Sachs. The winner will be announced by the end of this month. The general manager of the Romanian directory publishing unit Pagini Aurii, Shai Goldman, stated the transaction is too far off from Romania to have a direct impact in the country. “The future buyer will conclude this deal so as to improve the business and sell it for a higher price,” Goldman stated. “The only influence over Romania would be to make us more aggressive on the market,” he added. ZF