Retailer Ace Hardware Corp. and investment firm Centerbridge Partners LP are together eyeing an offer for bankrupt Sears Holdings Corp.’s home services division that would compete with an expected bid from Chairman Eddie Lampert, Reuters reported. Wednesday is the deadline for initial offers in a bankruptcy auction for the home services business, the largest U.S. appliance repair provider, and other Sears assets, according to a November letter from the company’s bankers to prospective bidders. The group eyeing the home services division has studied a possible bid for weeks, though there is no guarantee an offer will materialize. Sears is also negotiating with Lampert’s hedge fund, ESL Investments Inc., on a potential deal to acquire stores and businesses that would aim to keep the 125-year-old retailer operating as a going concern, according to court papers and people familiar with the discussions.
