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Sharper Image is an American brand that offers consumers home electronics, air purifiers, gifts and other high-tech lifestyle products. Originally founded in 1977, the brand was relaunched in 2010 with an updated catalog and website, SharperImage.com. The catalog and website are currently owned and operated by Michigan-based Camelot Venture Group.〔"(About Us )." The Sharper Image. Retrieved on February 18, 2010.〕 The earlier consumer products retailer by that name was founded by Richard Thalheimer and was in business from 1977 until its closing in 2008. The company sold merchandise through dozens of retail stores throughout the United States, a monthly catalog and its website, along with business-to-business sales teams which marketed products for corporate incentive programs and wholesale to retailers. On February 19, 2008, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming low sales aggravated by a decline in consumer spending and negative publicity surrounding its Ionic Breeze air purifiers. At that time the company had 2,500 employees. By the end of 2008 all of the retail stores had closed and the company assets were acquired by Hilco Consumer Capital, Infinity Lifestyle Brands, Gordon Brothers Group and Bluestar Alliance, after which the brand name was licensed for use on products sold through third party retailers such as Best Buy and Bed Bath & Beyond or through the branded website. New products are created through partnerships with other businesses. Iconix Brand Group bought The Sharper Image in 2011.〔(Iconix acquires The Sharper Image brand )〕 ==History== The Sharper Image Corporation was the brainchild of Richard Thalheimer. The company started as a catalog business to sell jogging watches.〔 〕 In 2006 there was a change in the board of directors of the company, including the removal of Thalheimer as CEO. Thalheimer was replaced by Chairman Jerry W. Levin, who was formerly Chairman and CEO of American Household/Sunbeam, Coleman, and Revlon, and under whom Sunbeam Products/American Household had filed for bankruptcy in 2001.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Jerry W. Levin )〕 On April 9, 2007, Steven A. Lightman became the President and CEO. In May 2007, the company announced the hiring of Rebecca Roedell as Chief Financial Officer.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Sharper Image Hires Rebecca Roedell As CFO; Roedell To Replace Interim CFO Daniel Nelson — Update )〕 Levin is also Chairman & CEO of JW Levin Partners LLC, a management and investment firm, since February 2005. And as of October 2009, is Chairman and Interim CEO of Wilton Brands, Inc. Levin was Vice Chairman of Clinton Group, a private diversified asset management company, between December 2007 and October 2008.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Biography of Jerry W. Levin )〕 On February 8, 2008, 11 days before he announced the Sharper Image bankruptcy filing, JWL Partners Acquisition Corp., a SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company, submitted an IPO filing. The filing showed US$200 million proceeds targeted. The underwriting group was listed as Credit Suisse and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. They applied to list under the ticker “JWL.U” on the American Stock Exchange. The filing stated that the blank check corporation intends to acquire or acquire control of one or more businesses. The filing was eventually withdrawn due to the economic market conditions.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=SPAC IPO FILING: JWL Partners (JWL, SHRP) )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Initial Public Offerings (IPO): Business description of JWL PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP. )〕 On April 10, 2008, Levin resigned as a member and Chairman of the Board of the company to pursue participating with other investors to acquire some or all of the company’s businesses or assets. But, as was pointed out, "Levin hasn't made a lot of money for the investors of Sharper Image he's teamed up with so far, including hedge fund Ramius Capital, which helped bring him in as a director, and Clinton Group, which announced a large stake in December." Under Levin, the company's stock price had fallen from about $40 three years ago to about 23 cents (a "paltry" $3.6 million market capitalization) at the time of his departure, on the over-the-counter pink sheets.〔http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SHARPER_IMAGE_CHAIRMAN?SITE=SLWIJ&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-04-10-09-10-53 〕 His group's bid did not succeed.〔http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080410/20080410005358.html 〕 In May 2007, Thalheimer created his own e-commerce site http://richardsolo.com, which has no affiliation with The Sharper Image, and sells items that were typical of the Sharper Image when its focus was offbeat consumer electronics. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Sharper Image」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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