There's a note of hope in the tale of Bon Ton; not just for the 100-year-old retailer, but for all the other companies on this list who are also struggling! Bon Ton wasn't just struggling; they were finished. They filed for bankruptcy in early 2018, were sold, and were then liquidated. They ceased to exist completely. Despite that, in October 2018 it was announced that the Bon Ton website was back online, and a small number of new Bon Ton stores would open in select locations.
The company who bought the bankrupt company has decided their acquisition still has name value, and so are giving it the chance to breathe again. They'll focus more on the online side of things, but in their stores will mainly offer the same wares as they used to. What makes their owners think that will succeed when it failed so dramatically last time is unknown, but we suspect the location of those stores will be crucial to their prospects.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.