Sharper Image
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| Subsidiary | |
| Founded | San Francisco, California 1977, relaunched 2010 |
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Key people
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David Katzman, Managing Partner, Camelot Venture Group |
| Parent | ThreeSixty Group, Inc. |
| Website | www |
The Sharper Image is an American brand that offers consumers home electronics, air purifiers, gifts and other high-tech lifestyle products. Founded in 1977, it started operations as a chain of consumer electronics retail stores operated under that name, before ceasing operation in 2008, though the brand was relaunched in 2010 with an updated catalog and website, SharperImage.com. The Sharper Image brand is owned by ThreeSixty Group, Inc., while the catalog and website are owned and operated by Michigan-based Camelot Venture Group.
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.
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.
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Wikipedia