Would a Lagardère sale have some impact on Transcontinental Media?

The French media company Lagardère says it may sell its international magazines in order to concentrate on its domestic publishing operation. The company, which publishes Paris Match, owns Elle magazine and a change in ownership would obviously be of some interest to Transcontinental Media, which publishes Elle Canada (right) and Elle Quebec under license from Lagardère subsidiary Hachette Filipacchi Media.

Lagardère is reportedly in talks with up to five publishers over the possible sale and is reported to have held presentations to US media giant Hearst – which owns NatMags in the UK - as well as Bauer Media Group [said a report in Press Gazette.]

The suggestion of a sale may affect titles such as Car and Driver and Woman's Day that it owns through its Hachette division.

A story in Mediaweek says that the company is close to a deal to sell Hachette to Hearst.