RETAIL: Judge sets April 9 auction for Bon-Ton

Some vendors that do business with Bon-Ton Stores Inc. are trying to put together a bid to buy the company and keep operating it, although perhaps with fewer stores, an attorney involved in Bon-Ton’s bankruptcy case said. On Monday, a federal judge in Delaware officially set April 9 for an auction of the company. BonTon, the parent company of Boston Store, Younkers and other department stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Feb. 4. Auction bids are due by April 2.