Sears (SHLD, $0.37) Gets Some More Time To Continue Operating, Will Sell Off 500 Stores

Sears Holdings Corp. has been allowed some time before a legal decision would be made on whether or not the retail company should continue to operate.

During Thursday’s bankruptcy court hearing, Judge Robert Drain gave permission to Sears to auction off 500 stores. Sears hopes the stores’ liquidation would generate cash to help the Sears brand stay alive. The company’s creditors had argued that Sears should immediately go out of business in order to staunch any further losses. Judge Drain has, however, decided to wait until a December hearing to give the final verdict on whether Sears should be allowed to continue operations or if it should begin shuttering all of its stores.

"We recognize we have a tough path ahead of us to save the company," said Sears attorney Ray Schrock, but also indicated that the company hopes to gain some tailwind from the upcoming holiday shopping. Sears has also managed to receive an additional $350 million loan from Great American Capital Partners, which is another important source for funding the retailer’s operations during the bankruptcy process (and therefore help its stores sustain through the holiday season) .

Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert, who also runs hedge fund ESL Investments Inc, has been reportedly working with potential lenders to gather funds in a bid to keep Sears in business, according to bankruptcy-court papers (as suggested  by a Reuters article).