Last checked at 
(Adds details on PODS Enterprises CEO)
By Greg Roumeliotis and Soyoung Kim
NEW YORK, Sept 16 (Reuters) - PODS Enterprises Inc, a U.S.moving and storage company managed by members of the privateequity firm Eagle Merchant Partners, is exploring a sale thatcould value it at around $1 billion, including debt, accordingto people familiar with the matter.
PODS Enterprises, overseen by partners of Atlanta-basedEagle Merchant and owned by restructured Bahraini investmentfirm Arcapita Bank BSCC, has hired Barclays Plc toassist with the sale process, one of the sources said.
The sources asked not to be identified because thediscussions are private. Spokespeople for PODS Enterprises andEagle Merchant had no immediate comment. Barclays declined tocomment.
Founded in 1998, PODS Enterprises delivers containers tocustomers who use them for moving or storing belongings. Itoperates in 48 U.S. states, Canada, Australia and Britainthrough its company-owned and franchise network.
The Clearwater, Florida-based company said on its website ithas carried out more than 2 million deliveries and nearly142,000 PODS containers, as big as 16 by eight feet, in service.It loads the containers onto its trucks through a patentedhydraulic lift system it calls PODZILLA.
PODS was acquired by Arcapita in 2008 for $451.4 million.Arcapita filed for U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2012under hedge fund pressure ahead of the repayment of a $1.1billion loan that was compliant under Islamic law.
Arcapita's Chapter 11 bankruptcy process was the first to beundertaken by a Gulf Arab entity. It also was the first time anIslamic legal ruling had been presented to a U.S. bankruptcyjudge.
The process ensured Arcapita's portfolio could be soldwithout going through a fire sale. Eagle Merchant assumed themanagement of the U.S. companies in Arcapita's private equityportfolio, including PODS.
Arcapita emerged from bankruptcy protection last year.
Women's retailer J. Jill, another Arcapita company, is alsoexploring a sale, sources said earlier this year.
Arcapita has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co to lead aninitial public offering of Viridian Group
In February, it also agreed to sell U.S.-based VarelInternational Inc, a manufacturer of drill bits forthe oil and gas industry, to Sweden's Sandvik AB for$740 million.
PODS, which stands for Portable On Demand Storage, wasfounded by Peter Warhurst, who left the company when he sold itto Arcapita. The current chief executive of PODS is John Koch, aformer senior executive at home security company ADT Corp. (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Andrew Hay)
