Bodog Beat

Iconix, the owner of clothing companies including London Fog and Candies is thinking about a major purchase – the Playboy empire. The economic slump over the past couple of years has really hit Playboy hard as the company netted huge losses in each quarter of 2008.

In December, the company's CEO Christie Hefner, announced she would be stepping down after 20 years at the helm of Playboy.

Playboy also slashed jobs, consolidated online and print operations and cut 14 percent of its workforce in 2008.

"The results of our efforts to date should be meaningful, but in the face of current economic conditions, it is clear that our streamlining initiatives need to continue," interim Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jerome Kern said in a statement.

Iconix CEO Neil Cole is reportedly looking for acquisitions to add more brands for Iconix to license to retailers and manufacturers.

"Neil Cole has done a phenomenal job of taking some of these lost brands and developing them into something," said Financo CEO Gilbert Harrison, a New York adviser and investment bank specializing in retail. "Certainly Playboy would fit that mold."

Hugh Hefner, the company's 82-year-old founder, still has a hand in operations, overseeing Playboy magazine as editor-in-chief and controlling nearly  28% of the stock. Hefner would have to be on board with the sale for it to go through. The bodog sportsbook has all your celebrity odds and more! Don’t have an account yet? Join bodog now. It’s free.