TOKYO, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Japan's Seven & i Holdings ( SVNDF )

plans to seek buyers for a majority stake in its

supermarket businesses, including its flagship Ito-Yokado, with

the process to begin as early as the end of this year, Nikkei

business daily reported on Friday.

The retail chain wants to sell the businesses to overseas

investment funds, among other possible buyers, the Nikkei

reported without mentioning sources. It may disclose the plan at

an earnings announcement on Oct. 10, the newspaper said.

A Seven & i ( SVNDF ) spokesperson, responding to the Nikkei report,

said: "It is not something officially announced by our company,

and there are no facts that have been decided at this time."

Earlier on Friday, Bloomberg news reported that Seven &

I Holdings ( SVNDF ) has approached private equity funds and other parties

about a potential sale of Ito-Yokado and supermarkets, citing

people familiar with the matter.

Based on earnings multiples, the sale value could reach 320

billion yen ($2.19 billion), Bloomberg said, citing one of the

sources. That follows a report on Thursday that Seven & i ( SVNDF ) was

considering selling part of its Seven Bank ( SEBNF ) unit.

Last month, the parent company of the 7-Eleven convenience

store chain rejected a $38.5 billion offer from Canada's

Alimentation Couche-Tard ( ANCTF ) that would have been the

largest corporate foreign buyout of a Japanese company.

Seven & i ( SVNDF ) has been under pressure from investor ValueAct

Capital in recent years to improve its asset allocation and has

sold down stakes in other lower-performing assets.

The company said in April it was considering a listing of

its superstore business, which mainly comprises supermarkets, as

part of a plan to maximise corporate value.

($1 = 146.4400 yen)