Hilco streambank

Gadget retailer The Sharper Image plans to close all of its remaining stores, its new owners announced Sunday. The company expects to sell $50 million in inventory as it shutters 86 stores across the United States, joint owners The Hilco Organization and Gordon Brothers Group said in a statement. The group, which purchased the gadget retailer's assets in a bankruptcy auction Thursday for $49 million, said it has developed a licensing strategy for wholesale, retail, direct-to-retail, e-commerce, and catalog businesses. The Sharper Image filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, with plans to shut about half of its 184 stores and reorganize. The San Francisco-based company said it had lost more than $135 million since early 2005. The company put itself up for sale in April. … [Read more...] about Sharper Image to close remaining 86 stores

"We're tweeting live from HR where we're all being fired! Exciting!" That was the first sign that something's up at HMV today, as a disgruntled employee briefly hijacked the official HMVtweets account. According to the mystery whistleblower, today saw a "mass execution of loyal employees who love the brand." The insider revealed, "there are over 60 of us being fired at once!" As the drama unfolded, the mystery tweeter claimed to have overheard a panicky marketing director asking, "how do I shut down Twitter?" That same marketing director is reported not to be among the job losses. The phantom tweeter signed off by saying they wouldn't normally do something like this, but felt they had "no choice" as the company they "dearly love is being ruined". The rogue tweets also revealed that HMV employees are under contract not to "tell the truth" about the unfolding situation inside the ailing chain.Someone official has now deleted the offending tweets and returned the hijacked HMVtweets … [Read more...] about HMV employee hijacks Twitter to say ‘We’re all being fired!’