Children's Place ex-CEO says could bid for company

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Children's Place Retail Stores Inc former Chief Executive Ezra Dabah said on Thursday he was confident he could make a bid to buy the company for $24 a share, sending its shares up 18 percent in pre-market trading.

Dabah, who said in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission that he owns 17.2 percent of the children's clothing retailer's shares, resigned as CEO last September after an internal probe found he did not comply with the company's securities-trading policies.

Wall Street on average had been expecting a same-store sales gain of 2.5 percent, according to Reuters Estimates.

Children's Place also said it has been notified by Nasdaq that its stock was subject to delisting because of its failure to hold its fiscal 2006 annual meeting by February 3.

The company had to delay its meeting because it was late in filing its 2006 annual report.

Children's Place shares were trading at $21.00 after closing at $17.78 on Wednesday.