BC Partners to buy 80 percent of Israel's Keter Plastic -media

JERUSALEM, July 20 (Reuters) - The owners of Israeli outdoorfurniture maker Keter Plastic have agreed to sell 80 percent ofthe company to European private equity house BC Partners in a deal that values Keter at $1.7 billion, Israelimedia reported on Wednesday.

Two of Israel's main financial news websites, Globes andCalcalist, reported on the deal but did not attribute theirinformation.

Officials at Keter in Israel and at BC Partners were notimmediately available for comment.

Keter specializes in resin-based storage solutions,do-it-yourself products and household goods, including plasticgarden sheds and bathroom cabinets. It operates 29 plants inIsrael, Europe and the United States and employs about 1,400people in Israel.

Keter's owner, Sami Sagol, and his advisers had previouslyselected BC Partners along with U.S. buyout fund Carlyle and CVC to submit binding offers. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; editing by Adrian Croft)