HENKEL AG, the German maker of Loctite glue and Persil detergent, may sell its 25 percent stake in United States chemical maker Ecolab Inc on the market.

"We don't anticipate that we will be selling our stake to one acquirer, more likely it will be distributing the stake broadly into the market," said Henkel Chief Financial Officer Lothar Steinebach.

The maker of Right Guard deodorant plans to cut as many as 3,000 jobs to sustain earnings growth and it said in February it will sell some or its entire stake in Ecolab, the world's largest maker of cleaning chemicals for hotels and restaurants. It has a market value of US$11.5 billion.

First-quarter sales excluding acquisitions and disposals and adjusted for currency swings rose 3.8 percent in Asia, and 4.2 percent in the Europe, Africa and Middle East region.

In North America, revenue on that basis declined 3.1 percent.