Strategy in TECH...
Almost weekly now, we are regularly seeing new data showing the dramatic slowdown of the housing market. A case in point is the latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association which tracks the weekly demand for mortgages for both home purchases and for refinancing. The Association reported that its index hit its lowest level in demand for mortgages in 22-years.
At the end of last week, Snap One Holdings Corp. released the results of their fiscal 2022 first quarter, a period which ended April 1, 2022, with comparisons to the same quarter last year, which ended on March 26, 2021. The company showed good revenue growth in the quarter but is still dealing with a net loss – albeit less of one than in 2021.
On Monday, I received a note from Premium Audio Company regarding my post on the bankruptcy of Onkyo Home Entertainment Co. Ltd. In this note, the company sought to get the message across that the Onkyo bankruptcy has nothing to do with them and that the Onkyo brand lives on under the guidance of its new owner, Premium Audio Company, a subsidiary of VOXX International.
Today in Osaka District Court in Osaka, Japan, Onkyo Home Entertainment Co. Ltd. (formerly Onkyo Corp.) filed for bankruptcy ending a long and storied history of innovative audio products. The action was taken less than a month after the company declared bankruptcy for two of its major subsidiaries in April. Now, the parent company has fallen as well…
Sonos reported on Wednesday that they had a strong second quarter fiscal 2022 result with good revenue growth. In the case of revenues, the company notes that they continue to track toward its annual revenue guidance of $1.95 billion – to – $2.0 billion. However, the company admitted that its profit margin took a hit as supply chain issues continue to bedevil it (and the rest of the industry) as well. They cut their forecast for profits in 2022.
More and more evidence continues to emerge suggesting that the economy is undergoing a fundamental shift, a turn if you will, that will at least slow economic growth – and may lead to recession. Perhaps the clearest indicator of that is the turn taken by tech, which has lost a trillion dollars in value in just three days of trading on the stock market. For the last two-plus years, tech was the driving force behind a dramatic economic expansion during the pandemic. What is happening now?
Emerald Holding Inc., the parent company of Emerald Expositions, a division that owns the CEDIA Expo trade show and CEPro media, announced its results for the first quarter of its fiscal 2022 year today – and these results clearly showed a strong rebound from the last two COVID-19 impacted years. With both revenues and earnings showing substantial increases, Emerald’s President and CEO Hervé Sedkey stated that “…we are in the midst of a robust recovery.”
Multiple sources report – and I have confirmed – that stalwart screen maker Stewart Filmscreen has been acquired by Shackleton Equity Partners, a private equity company. The deal is said to have gone down just days ago and Stewart now has a new chairman, Mark Schelbert, who is also a managing director at Shackleton.
Onkyo Home Entertainment Co. Ltd. (Onkyo) has announced that its two consolidated subsidiaries – Onkyo Sound Co. Ltd. (ONS) and Onkyo Marketing Co. Ltd (OMC) – have filed for bankruptcy. The company said that it had petitioned the court to begin bankruptcy proceedings for these divisions and has received judicial approval to begin the bankruptcy process from the Osaka District Court in Osaka, Japan.
AAMP Global, a leading global manufacturer of a wide array of technology products for the personal and commercial vehicle markets, announced today the strategic acquisition of AudioControl – the well-known specialty manufacturer of electronics products for the automotive, residential, and commercial audio channels. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but AAMP says that AudioControl’s Seattle, WA-based operations and team will continue to operate as an independent facility under the AAMP Global umbrella.
I spoke with top executives of both companies to learn more about what drew the parties together and just what is meant by a “strategic” acquisition.
