Jan 17 - Sears Holdings Corp said on Thursday its chairman Eddie Lampert won a bankruptcy auction for the U.S. department store chain with an improved takeover bid of $5.2 billion, allowing the 126-year-old retailer to keep its doors open.
Lampert's bid, higher than his earlier $5 billion offer, comes after weeks of deliberations that culminated in a days-long bankruptcy auction held behind closed doors.The billionaire's proposal, made through his hedge fund ESL Investments Inc, will preserve up to 45,000 jobs, Sears said.