Strategy in TECH...
This morning, AVPro Global Holdings, Inc., a maker of a wide variety of audio/video gear and services, announced it has acquired the residential division of AudioControl from AAMP Global. Like King Solomon, the move “splits the baby” in half along its logical business lines with AVPro Global taking over AudioControl’s residential division, while AAMP Global retains its mobile electronics business.
In a letter to employees earlier this month, VOXX International Corp. (Nasdaq: VOXX) CEO Pat Lavelle painted a dark picture of the economic environment the company finds itself mired in, noting its significant sales declines and mounting losses. If you were a VOXX employee reading the opening phrases of this letter, I’m pretty certain a feeling of dread would sweep over you – sensing where this communication is heading.
And you would be right, as later in the correspondence, Lavelle reveals a plan to cut “more than 150 employees” along with a series of other steps to cut costs and lower overhead. And these cuts are on top of the job cuts the company has already implemented in 2022, as it tries again to right the ship.
After the close of markets on Monday, Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI) took the unusual step of issuing a press release announcing preliminary results for its fiscal 2023 second quarter, the quarter that ended July 1, 2023. The release warned investors that the company expected to report a revenue decline in the quarter…a pretty significant revenue decline. But perhaps even more impactful than that, the company went on to add that it is forced to revise downward its forward guidance for the full Fiscal 2023 annual results. The value of MASI stock crashed nearly 26% in an early evening reading of after-hours trading in the stock.
VOXX International Corporation (Voxx) (Nasdaq: VOXX) reported its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 and the numbers were not pretty. The first quarter is the period ending on May 31, 2023, and overall net sales n the quarter dropped by -13.1%, with a net loss increase of 65%. The hardest hit segment was the company’s Premium Audio Company division – home of brands like Onkyo, Pioneer, Integra, Elite, and more – which saw sales collapse by -32%.
The Minnesota District Court for the Fourth Judicial District in the County of Hennepin held a hearing on Tuesday to determine the final disposition of the insolvent Audio Research Corporation which is operating under Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC) – a form of receivership. The assignee in this case, Patrick Finn of Lighthouse Management Group had executed an Asset Purchase Agreement (APA) with Acora Acoustics and was seeking an order from the judge to approve the APA and the transfer of the assets free and clear of any and all liens to Acora Acoustics.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday, Sonos, Inc. [NASDAQ: SONO] said it will institute a “reduction in force” or headcount reduction of approximately 7% of their employees. While the decision to cut jobs is designed to reduce labor expenses, the execution of the plan is estimated to cost the company somewhere between $11 million to $14 million.
So much has transpired over the last two weeks in the matter of Audio Research Corp’s status as it operates under Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors, a form of receivership. Several more documents have emerged that serve to shed more light on just precisely what is going on.
Yet more evidence of an industrywide downturn emerges, this time from VOXX International’s Fiscal 2023 fourth quarter and full-year results. After claiming that “…we had a lot of positive developments and continued to win new business and expand globally,” Voxx President Pat Lavelle went on to blame “inflation,” “fears of recession,” “the retail environment,” and “supply chain constraints,” for creating “roadblocks” to the company’s performance this year. Roadblocks, indeed…
An announcement recently appeared on an audio enthusiast website that appears to announce the sale of Audio Research Corp. to a Canadian high-end speaker manufacturer. However, when reached for confirmation of this news, the officially appointed receiver issued a terse “no comment.”
After the close of the stock market Wednesday, Sonos, Inc. released its fiscal 2023 second quarter (Q2) financial results. The numbers were pretty rough, but the company had previously adjusted its forward forecast downward. Yet even though the company’s latest Q2 numbers beat analysts’ revenue forecast and were in line with their guidance, the market reacted negatively. How negatively? Sonos’ stock lost more than 25% of its value on the day after the Q2 earnings were announced.
Why such a strong reaction? Read on…
