Sunday Business's future was plunged into doubt when its owners, the billionaire Barclay brothers, issued managing director Paul Woolfenden with an ultimatum to find a solution to the paper's financial predicament.
The Barclays are said to be considering a number of options for the loss-making title including finding new investors. They are also reported to have said they would be happy to offload 100% of the paper. However, other reports indicate the paper will close in two weeks if a solution is not found.
Holtzbrinck already publishes Scientific American and Nature, and has a strategic alliance with Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones.
Handelsblatt is believed to have suffered when Pearson launched FT Deutschland in 1999, and a takeover of Sunday Business could see the publisher exact some revenge on the FT in its home territory.
Earlier this year, Express Newspapers proprietor Richard Desmond was reported to have expressed an interest in acquiring Sunday Business but so far this has not been acted upon.
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