iRobot Corp. (IRBT) Accused of Channel-Stuffing
According to the complaint for breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment between November 21, 2016 and the present, iRobot touted that its acquisition of Sales on Demand Corporation and Robopolis SAS would accelerate the growth of iRobot’s business and maintain its segment leadership. Following the acquisitions and throughout the relevant period, iRobot reported explosive, double-digit revenue growth, and reaffirmed its positive outlook, with its officers and directors attributing its strong performance to growing demand for the Roomba line of products, expanded gross margin, and technological innovation. In reality, iRobot’s revenue was the result of the Company’s channel-stuffing, which artificially boosted sales to help iRobot achieve “record” growth. Despite its efforts, on April 23, 2019, the Company announced shockingly disappointing quarterly revenues below analyst expectations and surging inventory levels. Then, on July 23, 2019, the Company drastically cut its full-year earnings forecast. Finally, on October 22, 2019, iRobot cut its high end of its revenue expectations for the year and rolled back price increases due to a “suboptimal” customer response. Following these disclosures, iRobot’s stock price fell a total of $81.51, or 62%, to close at $49.06 and has yet to recover.
