BERTELSMANN AG, the owner of book publisher Random House, said yesterday that its six-month net profit soared dramatically from a year ago - though a higher euro hurt sales at its units.

The privately held company earned 284 million euros (US$419.4 million) in the January-June period, compared with a loss of 51 million euros a year earlier. The company did not break down its second-quarter profit figures.

Sales slipped to 7.6 billion (US$11.2 billion) in the six-month period, compared with 7.7 billion a year ago, a reflection of the strong euro which hit a record high of US$1.6038 last month, as well as a drop in sales at Random House and its former Direct Group.

The Direct Group - which operated book, music and DVD clubs, including Columbia House - saw its sales drop as consumers favor digital downloads.

Bertelsmann Chief Executive Hartmut Ostrowski made good on his promise to trim the company's units, selling its North American book club business last month to the privately held Arizona-based Najafi Companies. Terms were not disclosed.