SAN FRANCISCO — Yesterday, Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) soared in valuation during its first day of trading with initial shares priced at $68 for the San Francisco-based home-rental platform. The company’s shares skyrocketed to 113 percent above the initial offering, closing at $144.47. The company’s market capitalization reached $86.5 billion, with its offering raising $3.5 billion — making it the biggest IPO year-to-date. “Airbnb’s strong debut come as little surprise in view of the enormous valuations accorded to anything ‘tech,’” says professor John Colley, associate dean at Warwick Business School and an expert on IPOs. “After all, the company is nearer to profit than many recent and current IPOs.” Prior to its IPO, Airbnb filed multiple updated S-1s with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in which the company announced plans to offer 51.9 million shares at $44 to $50 per share then increased its offering to $56 to $60 per share. The 13-year-old company has experienced growth since its founding with gross booking value (GBV) topping $38 billion in 2019, representing a 29 percent growth from $29.4 billion in 2018.
SAN FRANCISCO — DoorDash, a technology-based food delivery company, debuted on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, Dec. 9 offering its initial public offering at $102 per share, which was above its previous range of $90 to $95. The company closed its first day of trading with an 86 percent increase in pricing to $189.51, for a total valuation of $60.2 billion, or 17 times revenue. The San Francisco-based door-to-door delivery service focuses primarily on restaurant deliveries, which resulted in a 268 percent revenue growth in the third quarter, up to $879 million, from the previous year. Additionally, during the first nine months of 2020, DoorDash’s order volume soared to $16.5 billion, from $5.5 billion last year. According to the company’s prospectus, it has 390,000 merchants on its platform, ranging from fast-food chains like Chick-fil-A, Chipotle and McDonald’s to upscale restaurants that have been forced to rely on delivery services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has rapidly expanded its business and services to meet the needs of customers during the pandemic and has implemented practices and strategies that reduced its losses, resulting in profits on every order.
SEATTLE — Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) has predicted a resurgence in its cafes and customer demand for its coffee by 2022, forecasting a growth of more than 20 percent by fiscal 2022. With this news, shares of the Seattle-based coffee roaster and retailer jumped more than 4 percent in extended trading. The stock, which has a market value of $122 billion, has increased 18 percent so far this year. Pat Grismer, CFO, reaffirmed the company’s fiscal 2021 forecast with adjusted earnings per share of $2.70 to $2.90 at the company biennial investor day. In 2023 and 2024, Starbucks expects to hit long-term growth targets with adjusted earnings per share growth of 10 percent to 12 percent. Starbucks also is adjusting its forecast for ongoing long-term revenue growth by increasing it to a range of 8 percent to 10 percent, upgrading its 2018 prediction of 7 percent to 9 percent. The company is projecting a net new unit growth of 6 percent worldwide as it aims for 55,000 cafes globally by 2030, with a 3 percent growth in the United States and a low-teens net unit growth rate for China. Currently, the company has nearly 33,000 stores worldwide.
DALLAS — CBRE Group Inc. (NYSE: CBRE) has announced leadership changes within its real estate investments division and Trammell Crow Co. subsidiary. Mike Lafitte, global CEO of real estate investments, will assume additional responsibilities as CEO of Trammell Crow. Matt Khourie, Trammell Crow’s current CEO, will move into the newly created position of chief investment officer of real estate investments. Both of these changes will become effective on Jan. 1. On April 1, Adam Weers will be promoted to COO of Trammell Crow when the current holder of that position, Mike Duffy, retires. CBRE announced in late October that it would be relocating its global headquarters from Los Angeles to Dallas.
SAN FRANCISCO — Stitch Fix (NASDAQ: SFIX) has reported a net revenue of $490.4 million, an increase of 10 percent year-over-year, for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, which ended Oct. 31. The online personal styling service reports that new clients have grown dramatically during the pandemic. The company has nearly 3.8 million active clients, an increase of 347,000, or 10 percent year-over-year, and 241,000 new clients quarter-over-quarter. The company reported a slight decrease of 4 percent year-over-year of net revenue per active client, which totals $467. “This quarter we are proud to have achieved several multi-year highs, including our highest sequential client addition on record,” says Katrina Lake, founder and CEO. According to the company’s shareholder letter, it aims to deliver between 20 percent and 25 percent growth for the full fiscal year. The company delivers clothing personalization services to clients through a combination of data science and human judgement. Since its founding in 2011, the company has helped millions of people discover and purchase apparel, shoes and accessories curated by Stitch Fix stylists and algorithms.
HOUSTON — Francesca’s, the Houston-based apparel and accessories chain for women, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will close an additional 97 stores across the country, according to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Francesca’s had previously announced in mid-November that it would be closing 140 stores, or roughly 20 percent of its total count, and possibly pursuing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy declaration. According to CNBC, Francesca’s has received a buyout offer from Los Angeles-based TerraMar Capital and hopes to close a sale by late January.
DALLAS — RETS Associates, a California-based company that specializes in matching real estate companies with qualified talent, has opened a new office in Dallas. The firm has tapped Chase Fryhover as director of the new office, which is located at 5420 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway in the Galleria area. Fryhover will focus on recruiting for entry to mid-level positions in the Dallas market. RETS Associates also has offices in Charlotte, Chicago, Denver and Phoenix.
PLANO, TEXAS — At Home Group Inc. (NYSE: HOME) reported a 47.5 percent increase in net sales for its third fiscal quarter that ended on Oct. 24 relative to its fiscal third quarter in 2019. At Home has now achieved 21.5 percent growth in net sales on a year-to-date basis. The Plano-based home improvement retailer also reported $47.1 million in net income for its third quarter, a substantial increase from the $14.6 million net loss posted in the third quarter of 2019. The company currently operates 219 stores in 40 states. In a call with shareholders, At Home CEO Lee Bird noted the company was currently enjoying its lowest leverage ratio since going public. In addition, Bird said that At Home’s “real estate opportunities are only getting stronger,” and that the company had “the potential to grow our store base nearly three times larger.” At Home’s stock price opened at $18.86 per share on Thursday, Dec. 3, up from $8.24 per share a year ago.
SAN FRANCISCO — On Tuesday, Dec. 1, San Francisco-based Airbnb filed an updated S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of its planned initial public offering (IPO) filing on Dec. 9. The home-rental platform, along with some shareholders, plans to offer 51.9 million shares at $44 to $50 in its IPO, creating a valuation of up to $35 billion, an $4 billion increase from its private valuation of $31 billion. The 13-year-old company has experienced growth since its founding with gross booking value (GBV) topping $38 billion in 2019, representing a 29 percent growth from $29.4 billion in 2018. However, during the first nine months of 2020, Airbnb was impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic with GBV falling to $18 billion, down 39 percent year over year, and $2.5 billion in revenue, down 32 percent year over year. Through the combination of consolidating its workforce and a surge in rentals, the company has begun to see a 1 percent uptick in bookings between second- and third-quarter 2020, resulting $1.3 billion in third-quarter revenue, down 18 percent from the same period in 2019. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group, Allen & Co., Bank of America Corp., Barclays Plc and Citigroup …
NEW YORK CITY AND MAHWAH, N.J. — Premium Apparel LLC, an affiliate of New York City-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners, has entered into an agreement to purchase multiple clothing brands from Mahwah-based Ascena Retail Group (OTCMKTS: ASNAQ) for $540 million. The apparel and footwear brands in question include Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey. Under the terms of the deal, which is expected to close by mid-December, Premium Apparel will acquire the brands on a cash-free and debt-free basis. Premium Apparel did not specify how many of brick-and-mortar stores will be affected by the transaction, but the new ownership did say that it remains committed to retaining a “substantial portion” of stores and employees affiliated with these brands. “Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey are well-known brands, each with passionate associates and loyal customers,” says Stefan Kaluzny, managing director of Sycamore Partners. “These brands have significant potential, and we are excited about the opportunity to partner with Ascena’s talented team to continue delivering new and relevant experiences for customers.” Ascena Retail Group, which operated about 1,500 stores throughout the country as of late August, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July. In September, …