Del Vecchio heir buys 30% of Il Giornale in push for Italian media hub

MILAN, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, one of the heirs of the founder of eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica ESLX.PA, said on Friday he had bought 30% of right-wing Italian daily "Il Giornale", with the aim of building a larger media empire.

Milan-based Il Giornale, founded in 1974, is controlled by the Angelucci family and was previously in the hands of the family of late conservative prime minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi.

"This investment, alongside the Angelucci family, represents a concrete step in the direction I outlined in recent months: strengthening Italian publishing with patient, Italian industrial capital," Del Vecchio said in a statement.

To this end, Del Vecchio's investment vehicle, LMDV Capital, has recently signed an exclusivity agreement to acquire the majority of an Italian media group running local and national newspapers as well as digital platforms, the statement added, without giving details.

A source close to the matter said the targeted media company was Monrif, which owns the "Il Resto del Carlino", "La Nazione" and "Il Giorno" newspapers, based respectively in Bologna, Florence and Milan.

Monrif declined to comment.

Earlier this month, Del Vecchio said he had offered 140 million euros ($163.97 million) to buy the GEDI group, publisher of the centre-left Italian newspapers la Repubblica and La Stampa, but his offer was rejected.

GEDI, a loss-making company owned by the Agnelli family holding company EXOR EXOR.AS, is in talks with the Greek media company Antenna.

LMDV Capital has completed a string of acquisitions in recent years ranging from hospitality brands to the beverage industry.

($1 = 0.8538 euros)