Stuff - whose interests span online and print publishing and e-commerce - employs about 1000 staff.

The sale of Stuff is expected to get underway before the end of March.

Nine acquired Stuff, which publishes the Stuff website and newspapers including The Dominion-Post, The Press and The Sunday Star-Times as a result of its acquisition of fellow Australian media company Fairfax Media in December.

But Nine chief executive Hugh Marks had confirmed within days that a sale of Stuff was on the agenda.

ROSS GIBLIN/STUFF Stuff chief executive Sinead Boucher believes plenty of people will see the potential in the business.

Marks told The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday that a "formal sale process" for Stuff and for former Fairfax regional publications in Australia, including The Canberra Times, would begin in the next few months.

It would be hard for Nine to give the businesses "the time and investment they need" but there was interest in the assets from a "broad group of companies", he said.

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MATT KING/GETTY IMAGES Nine boss Hugh Marks says there is interest from a "broad group of companies".

Stuff employs about 1000 staff.

Chief executive Sinead Boucher said she did not believe there was any reason for them to be worried.

"We have got lots of strong assets including New Zealand's biggest digital platform, Stuff, and a very rapidly-growing and exciting platform in Neighbourly, plus all of our print assets."

The early investments Stuff had made in "adjacent businesses" such as Stuff Fibre and Energy Club were starting to chart a new direction for the business, she said.

"I am sure there will be plenty of people who can see the potential.

"The key thing is we are continuing to focus on achieving all of our business goals, and the sales process will run alongside that," she said.