* Says eyeing stake in Coin but no decision yet
* Also studying other investment opportunities
* Coin shares up 3.8 percent
MILAN, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Maurizio Borletti, who owns stakes in Italian department store operator La Rinascente and French peer Printemps, is eyeing new investment in the retail sector, including a stake in Italian store chain Gruppo Coin.
"Coin is in a sector we are interested in. It is a success story with a solid management," the Italian businessman said in an email to Reuters on Thursday, adding he was also considering other options.
Financiere Tintoretto SA, majority owned by private equity firm PAI Partners, is selling its 69 percent stake in Coin and expects to choose a buyer by the end of the first quarter of next year.
"The conditions are there for an interest from us, although we have not yet taken a final decision," Borletti said. "We are, in fact, studying other opportunities and we have to decide which to pursue," Borletti said.
Private equity funds Carlyle and Clessidra have recently said they were interested in Coin, Italy's biggest clothes retailer after its purchase of Upim in January.
Borletti is chairman of Borletti Group which owns 4 percent of Rinascente's retail group, and has an indirect stake in Coin through Upim. He also partly owns the Printemps group department stores and the property group Highstreet, the main landlord of German retail store chain Karstadt.
Coin has said it expected earnings before interest tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 200 million euros ($270 million) in the year to end-January, up 34 percent.
Coin shares were up 3.8 percent at 7.56 euros at 0910 GMT, outperforming Milan's all share index, up 0.9 percent. (Reporting by Sabina Suzzi, writing by Antonella Ciancio, Editing by Dan Lalor) ($1 = 0.7409 euro)