Cerberus Said to Near to Buy Supervalu Grocery Chain

An investor group led by Cerberus Capital Management LP is nearing a deal to acquire some of grocery chain Supervalu Inc.’s assets and become a shareholder in the remaining public company, said three people familiar with the matter.

Cerberus and its real estate partners are willing to put in $500 million in equity to appease lenders that had previously balked on terms Cerberus was seeking, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. Last month, Supervalu had been moving toward a deal to sell only individual chains such as Albertsons and Save-A-Lot to Cerberus after discussions on a full takeover stalled, people with knowledge of the matter said then.