WCI Holdings extended its offer to purchase...

WCI Holdings extended its offer to purchase up to 38.3 million shares of Wickes Cos. common stock to 5 p.m. EST Dec. 7. The offer was originally scheduled to expire Wednesday. WCI said the extension was made to finalize financing on the offer and to adjust for the recently announced sale of the Wickes subsidiary, WCI Financial Corp. WCI Holdings, which is owned by Blackstone Capital Partners LP and Wasserstein, Perella Partners LP, also said it is eliminating guaranteed delivery procedures to simply the funding of share purchases. As of Nov. 25, 3.5 million shares of Santa Monica-based Wickes had been tendered.