Private equity firm Sycamore Partners is in advanced talks to acquire Staples(SPLS, -1.03%) following an auction for the U.S. office supplies retailer, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in a deal that could top $6 billion.
The acquisition would come a year after a U.S. federal judge thwarted a merger between Staples and peer Office Depot (ODP, -0.19%) on antitrust grounds.
It would represent a bet by Sycamore that Staples could more quickly shift its business model from serving consumers to catering to companies if it were to go private.
