Panasonic's logo is seen on a wall of an electronic shop in Tokyo February 3, 2012. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Slovenian home appliances maker Gorenje GORE.LJ said on Monday it had signed a deal with Japanese consumer electronics firm Panasonic Corporation 6752.T that could lead to Panasonic taking it over.

It said the two firms had agreed that Gorenje would enable Panasonic to perform due diligence in Gorenje by the end of September.

“These activities may or may not lead to Panasonic’s decision to launch a bid to increase its stake in Gorenje,” the company said.

Both parties also agreed on Gorenje’s “future role” within Panasonic “should Panasonic through these activities obtain effective control of Gorenje.”

Panasonic holds a stake of 10.74 percent in Gorenje, which has market capitalization of about 161 million euros ($177 million).

Shares of Gorenje eased 0.66 percent to 6.581 euros in Monday trading, before the deal was announced, while the blue-chip SBI index .SBITOP firmed 0.89 percent.