Saks Inc., the owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, has hired Goldman Sachs to explore strategic alternatives including a possible sale of the company, The Post has learned.
The New York luxury chain — whose Fifth Avenue flagship in Manhattan alone is believed to be worth more than $1 billion — tapped Goldman in recent weeks, according to a source briefed on the situation.
Likely bidders include large private equity firms, among them KKR and Leonard Green & Partners, according to sources.
Shares of Saks, which separately reported its quarterly results today, were up 9.9 percent at $13.49 in mid-afternoon trades, giving the company a market value of $1.96 billion.
jcovert@nypost.com