Mike Ashley, the billionaire owner of sports goods chain Sports Direct, could step in to save BHS, the 88-year-old British retailer that collapsed last Monday, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
Ashley was already in talks about rescuing the stores group last week before administrators were called in, the newspaper said, adding that he had not abandoned his plan.
"Any continuing interest that we have in BHS would be on the basis that we would anticipate that there would not be any job losses, including jobs at head office, and that all stores would remain open," Ashley told the newspaper.
BHS was placed into administration, a form of creditor protection, by owner Retail Acquisitions, putting 11,000 jobs at risk.
The administrator had received around 50 expressions of interest for all or parts of the group by Thursday, according to a source.