From the Fitbit IPO to Whole Foods pricing, what financial news did you miss in June?

The Brief
Every week we find, and highlight, five people or companies that are having an impact on the financial sector (from Wall Street to Silicon Valley and everywhere in between). 

Sign up for the finance RelSci 5

Picture


1. Whole Foods

Turns out, there’s a lot of money in coconut shrimp–if you charge too much for it. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs is leveling massive overpricing allegations at Whole Foods, citing some of the most egregious weight mislabeling offenses its investigators have ever seen. So, how will Whole Foods go about defending itself?

Our other burning questions:
Will this have any impact on Whole Foods’ ability to open its newly announced, more accessible chain of stores, 365 by Whole Foods Market? 

If the allegations are true, who at Whole Foods should have seen this coming and put a stop to it?

2. Fitbit

The wearable-maker has filed for its IPO terms this week, maxing out it’s per-share price at $16, for a potential valuation of nearly $550 million. Question is, is an IPO enough to help Fitbit take on a wave of competition, especially from the Apple Watch and Xiaomi?

Our other burning question:
Is Fitbit’s leadership 
ready for an IPO?

Will fitness bands continue their domination of the wearables market, or are Apple Watch and its competitors poised to take over?

3. AT&T/DirecTV

With the Justice Department’s “tentative” approval of a $48.5-billion merger of AT&T and DirecTV, all eyes turn to the FCC, which now holds the fate of the deal in its figurative hands. Having cleared anti-trust concerns, what do AT&T and DirecTV have to worry about now?

Our other burning question:
What do the two organizations, a merger of which would form the largest pay-TV company in the country, stand to gain from each other aside from market share and tech?

With this hurdle cleared, what do opponents of the deal have to say about the FCC’s impending decision?

4. J. Crew

Things are looking bleak for the clothing retailer, which has announced the departure of its head of women’s design and the planned cutting of 175 jobs. With sales down 10 percent and losses skyrocketing, how and where did the once-venerable brand go wrong?

Our other burning questions:
Is J. Crew subsidiary and hipster favorite Madewell the answer to the brand’s woes?

Can CEO Mickey Drexler, a celebrated industry leader, turn the brand around before it’s too late?

5. Jack Dorsey

The Twitter co-founder has returned to the place where it all began as interim chief in the wake of former CEO Dick Costolo’s “surprise” resignation. Though officially Dorsey, who is still running Square, is only back until the board finds a permanent replacement, comparisons to Steve Jobs are already running amok. So, is Dorsey set to follow in Jobs’ footsteps, leading a historic turnaround of his flailing problem child?

Our other burning questions:
Why did Costolo enact an early exit anyway?

Do Dorsey’s experience and network at Square mean greater things for Twitter this time around?

Picture

RelSci provides a relationship capital platform that helps create competitive advantage for organizations through a crucial yet vastly underutilized asset: relationship capital with influential decision makers. 

Get the RelSci 5 newsletter straight to your inbox every Thursday.

Picture

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *