The "for sale" sign was still hanging over the Playboy soft porn empire today, after Iconix, the owner of brands including London Fog, walked away from acquisition talks.
Insiders said it was too complicated to separate the Playboy brand from the firm's other assets.
Iconix had been lined up as a likely buyer of the adult entertainment company. It was thought to be interested in licensing the Playboy brand, and shutting down or finding partners to run other units of the business.
But Iconix has now walked away from talks, according to Bloomberg. That means an extension to 83-year-old Hugh Hefner's reign over the Playboy empire. This began when he launched the magazine with a nude shoot of Marilyn Monroe in 1953, but the eponymous magazine has been hit hard by the decline in print advertising.
Last month Playboy posted a third-quarter loss of $1.1 million (£676,500) down from a loss of $6.2 million the previous year. Revenue slumped a fifth to $56 million.
"It has been mismanaged for 10 years," said shareholder Mark Boyar, president of Boyar Asset Management. "Hugh is 83 years old and more likely to sell the company than has been the case in the past."
Source: London Evening Standard
