Brands
Amazon buys robot vacuum maker iRobot for $1.7 billion
Mumbai: Amazon is all set to expand its collection of smart home appliances. It has announced plans to acquire the vacuum maker, iRobot, for approximately $1.7 billion.
iRobot is famous for its list of smart home appliances, including the Roomba vacuum, the Astro robot, and the Ring security camera, among others.
GlobalData Retail managing director Neil Saunders said, “The move is part of Amazon’s bid to own part of the home space through services and accelerate its growth beyond retail. A slew of home-cleaning robots adds to the company’s tech arsenal, making it more involved in consumers’ lives beyond static things like voice control. The latest line of Roombas use sensors to map—and remember—a home’s floor plan, offering a trove of data that Amazon could potentially integrate with its other products.”
Amazon will acquire iRobot for $61 per share in an all-cash transaction, including iRobot’s net debt. The company has total current debt of approximately $332.1 million as of 2 July.
This is not the first time that Amazon has made a move in this space. It has been aggressively tackling the robotics space in the decade since it acquired Kiva Systems. Last year, Amazon also unveiled the Astro Robot at an introductory price of $1,000.
Speaking about this acquisition, Amazon Devices SVP Dave Limp said, “We know that saving time matters, and chores take precious time that can be better spent doing something that customers love.”
He also added, “Over many years, the iRobot team has proven its ability to reinvent how people clean with products that are incredibly practical and inventive—from cleaning when and where customers want while avoiding common obstacles in the home, to automatically emptying the collection bin. Customers love iRobot products—and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent ways that make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable.”
iRobot CEO Colin Angle commented, “Since we started iRobot, our team has been on a mission to create innovative, practical products that make customers’ lives easier, leading to inventions like the Roomba and iRobot OS.”
“Amazon shares our passion for building thoughtful innovations that empower people to do more at home, and I cannot think of a better place for our team to continue our mission. I’m hugely excited to be a part of Amazon and to see what we can build together for customers in the years ahead,” he added.
The deal is subject to approval by shareholders and regulators. Upon completion, iRobot’s CEO, Colin Angle, will remain in his position.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
