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- BUSINESS, Page 43Business NotesRETAILINGMiracle On 34th Street
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- Ordinarily, R.H. Macy's is a place for buyers to shop. But
- lately, it is Macy's that is on the shopping list of big-time
- corporate buyers. Faced with debilitating debts, rising
- defections by suppliers and disappointing holiday sales, the New
- York City retailer dubbed the world's largest store is on the
- verge of bankruptcy. Last week, only hours before a deadline to
- pay some of its creditors, Macy's almost found a savior in the
- person of billionaire Laurence Tisch, chairman of CBS and a
- member of the retailer's board. Through his family-controlled
- Loews Corp., Tisch offered to purchase the store chain and
- inject as much as $1 billion in new capital, buying out
- stockholders and bond owners at prices below the face value of
- their investments.
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- The deal would have restructured Macy's finances and
- restored the confidence of suppliers. But it fell through after
- hitting a last-minute snag with creditors, who would have been
- forced to make significant concessions. While analysts think
- that Tisch's deal could be revived by a sweetened offer, other
- bidders could also emerge. The most likely is Hong Kong
- financier Sir Run Run Shaw, who owns about 10% of Macy's.
- Meanwhile, the company continues to hang by a slender thread.
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