HBC has a dark history but in modern form, it could have also provided important competition to Amazon. Apologies are in order nonetheless.
Aside: it’s amazing how HBC, Sears, etc. had successful mail-order/catalog businesses before Amazon came along and built a mail-order system on the internet - and completely threw away their lead.
The PE firm should be required to liquidate assets in order to pay the severance owed to the employees. It is a moral failure of the government and society to allow them to get away without paying.