The Federal Bankruptcy court for the district of Minnesota approved the acquisition of all the assets of Polaroid by Gordon Brothers Brands and Hilco Consumer Capital. The joint venture partners plan to develop a full-scale global licensing and marketing strategy. The Polaroid brand began 72 years ago with polarised sunglasses, evolved into instant film, camera and camera accessories, and expanded well beyond into flat panel televisions, portable DVD players, digital photo frames, digital HD camcorders, waterproof digital cameras and more. In December 2008, however, Polaroid filed for bankruptcy and was subsequently auctioned off. At first it seemed that Patriarch Partners had won, but the auction was reopened after complaints by Polaroid’s creditors that the bidding had been flawed.

Press Release

Polaroid Acquired by Hilco Consumer Capital, L.P. and Gordon Brothers Brands, LLC

Multi-channel Global Licensing Strategy Planned to Expand 72-year-old Brand

MINNETONKA, Minn., April 16 /PRNewswire/—A joint venture led by Gordon Brothers Brands, LLC (“GBB”) and Hilco Consumer Capital, L.P. (“HCC”), which includes private equity fund Knight’s Bridge Capital Partners and other institutional investors, announced today the Federal Bankruptcy court for the district of Minnesota approved its acquisition of substantially all the assets of Polaroid(R), including the Polaroid brand, intellectual property, inventory and other assets. Jeffrey Hecktman, Chairman and CEO of The Hilco Organization, and Michael Frieze, CEO of Gordon Brothers Group, are proud to have Polaroid associated with their organizations and as a leading brand in their distinguished portfolios.

The joint venture partners, who recently acquired The Sharper Image(R), Linens ‘N Things(R) and Bombay(R) brands, plan to develop a full-scale global licensing and marketing strategy for wholesale, direct-to-retail (DTR) and e-commerce businesses to leverage Polaroid’s innovative and pioneering heritage.

Stephen Miller, Co-President, Gordon Brothers Retail Group stated, “Polaroid is an iconic brand known globally for their technical innovation and high-quality products that deliver on its reputation of ease-of-use. As a Boston-based company, it’s a privilege to keep Polaroid’s roots in America while expanding the brand internationally.”

“The Polaroid brand has immense global appeal that translates into almost all categories,” commented Jamie Salter, CEO of Hilco Consumer Capital. “This is a terrific opportunity to unlock Polaroid’s brand value and transform its multi-channel platform of diverse and unique consumer products using leading technologies and trend-setting innovations.”

During its 72-year history, Polaroid has developed one of the world’s most widely recognized consumer brands. The joint venture recognizes that Polaroid’s unique “innovation-made-simple” brand platform has global appeal across a wide demographic and can be expanded to numerous product categories. The Polaroid brand began with polarized sunglasses, evolved into instant film, camera and camera accessories, and expanded well beyond into flat panel televisions, portable DVD players, digital photo frames, digital HD camcorders, waterproof digital cameras and more.

Always on the cutting edge of the latest “instant” technologies, Polaroid is also responsible for the world’s very first ZINK(TM) (Zero Ink(TM) Printing Technology) enabled printing device. The Polaroid PoGo(TM) Instant Mobile Printer offers the capability to print and share 2"x3” borderless, color images from a camera cell phone or digital camera in under a minute. In 2009, Polaroid unveiled a digital camera with the same printing capabilities, the palm-sized PoGo Instant Digital Camera.

The flexibility of the Polaroid brand offers limitless potential to embark on additional product opportunities, ranging from consumer electronics to commercial imaging. The joint venture intends to partner with a number of global institutions in the ongoing development of the Polaroid brand.

About Hilco Consumer Capital, L.P.:

Hilco Consumer Capital, L.P. (www.hilcocc.com) specializes in private equity investments in branded companies with high target market awareness. HCC looks to acquire retailers, wholesalers and intellectual property in this space and seeks to build significant, additional value through innovative product development, marketing, merchandising and licensing strategies. Current portfolio brands and companies include House of Marley, Caribbean Joe(R), Ellen Tracy(R), Halston(R), Tommy Armour Golf(R), RAM Golf(R), The Sharper Image(R), Linens ‘N Things(R) and Bombay(R). HCC is a unit of The Hilco Organization (www.hilcotrading.com), a Chicago-based, international provider of diversified financial and operational services, including business asset valuations, asset acquisition and disposition services, M&A services and retail consulting.

About Gordon Brothers Brands, LLC:

Gordon Brothers Brands, LLC is a member of the Gordon Brothers Group family of companies. Gordon Brothers Brands purchases, sells, and licenses brands and other intellectual property. Current portfolio brands and companies include Rugged Shark(R), The Sharper Image(R), Linens ‘N Things(R) and Bombay(R), among others. Founded in 1903, Gordon Brothers Group (www.GordonBrothers.com) is a global advisory, restructuring and investment firm specializing in retail and consumer products, industrial and real estate sectors. Gordon Brothers Group maximizes value for both healthy and distressed companies by purchasing or selling all categories of assets, appraising assets, providing debt financing, making private equity investments and operating businesses for extended periods. Gordon Brothers Group conducts over $50 billion in annual transactions and appraisals.

Source: Hilco Consumer Capital, L.P.; Gordon Brothers Brands, LLC

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