topic Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail in Q Talk

The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

Mindy D — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:12:53 GMT

The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

This is an article I just finished which examines the financials, business and future of QRate. It's the best article I've read on the subject. The comments are also very thought provoking. If you want to read it, put the title into your google search bar.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

deeva — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:27:30 GMT

The outlook for QVC/ HSN is worse than I imagined.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

millieshops — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:28:10 GMT

@Mindy D Thanks for that tip. I will read in hope some of their conjectures are based on numbers, not emotions.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

Franklinbell — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:30:28 GMT

Thanks. For sharing! Very interesting!

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

On It — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:34:37 GMT

@Mindy D That is a compelling article. I had no idea the impact of the warehouse fire rippled through the entire operation to such a huge extent. I hope the unhappy customers complaining about product diversity, efficiency of shipping, and supply issues will read the article. It was enlightening.

I truly believe the worst thing for our quality of life is publicly owned companies having to please stockholders. I miss the day when most companies were privately held by an individual interest and could focus on their business instead of shareholders's interests.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

Bookplate — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:37:02 GMT

Thank you; most interesting. The author gives more weight to the importance of the warehouse fire/loss than I would have thought but I understand the significance better now. I had to laugh at one of the commenter's claim that an increase in SS benefits this year will boost sales - as if seniors have nothing better to spend their dwindling incomes on than shopping channels. Good luck with that. What I found lacking in the article is criticism of management decisions other than the poor balance sheet performance, but perhaps one needs to be a consistent customer/viewer to see how programming and merchandisiing decisons have led to the deterioration of the businesses.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

Mindy D — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:40:17 GMT

@Bookplate @I laughed at the SS increase comment too.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

PickyPicky3 — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:41:51 GMT

The comments were more interesting than the article.

In real estate, it's location location location.

In shopping it's business model, business model, business model.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

Mindy D — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:53:43 GMT

@PickyPicky3 @The corporate plan QVC and QRate has addresses the model. They are targeting other media besides Chanel TV. They've hired experts to help them do this.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

PickyPicky3 — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:59:48 GMT

@Mindy D They're going to have to make some decisions fast. It's sink or swim time.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

They CallMe MRWILKES — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 14:07:25 GMT

I agree that things need to turn quickly.

Project Athens is a three-year "turn around " plan introduced in June 2022, but things seem to have gotten only worse. Three years seems optimistic.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

millieshops — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 14:29:52 GMT

@Mindy D Thanks for posting that tip. I sensed that Qurate's problem went way beyond what we see on TV, way beyond consumers like me making major changes in their buying habits, but those stats explain why big investors are also missing.

So now we know better the scope of the problem, but I have even less financial experience to imagine any solution. Companies and governments have to deal with what is whether they were in control to cause the problem or not.

I began slowing my retail shopping a whole decade ago. Whoever was administering QVC finances started them on the path to this disastrous point even before that most likely.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

carlycat — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 16:52:20 GMT

The article was interesting. What I really found key was that many of its points were what customers have been saying: lackluster product and poor delivery/slow shipping. Coupled with the fact that fewer people watch cable (I don't), QVC is in a rather desperate situation.

I know if I hadn't gotten started with it years ago, I would not even be aware of it now.

While the warehouse fire may have added to their woes, it is certainly not the cause or the biggest.

I don't understand the idea of streaming a shopping Chanel. I can't imagine choosing to spend time watching a pre-recorded show. Its basically an infomercial. I do view QVC like any other online retailer, and search for products when I need to. I appreciate the product videos then, except so many of them are now just showing what's already on the computer.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

Foxxee — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 21:51:11 GMT

We don't need an analyst to tell us this. We have been saying it for quite some time.

"A big drop in quality paired with a rising cost environment is a recipe for short-term disaster.

Some customers likely reined in their spending as inflation ran hot, and others get bored due to a lack of exciting products on offer.

These factors combined would explain a sharp drop in customers, revenue, and margins."

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

jackiejenny — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 19:35:00 GMT

While I would agree that the warehouse fire did contribute to the problem, I believe way too much emphasis is being placed there, almost like a fall back excuse.

See, it's not us making one bad decision after another...it's that fire...the fire did it.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

Rockycoast — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 20:20:16 GMT

I agree, the article is putting too much importance to the warehouse fire. QVC had major problems long before the fire. Problems that tptb did not address and still don’t seem to care about. Bad decisions by tptb are a Big part of the reasons qvc is sinking. It started many, many years ago and has continued to spiral downward.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

BalletBabe — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 21:39:56 GMT

@Mindy D wrote:
The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

This is an article I just finished which examines the financials, business and future of QRate. It's the best article I've read on the subject. The comments are also very thought provoking. If you want to read it, put the title into your google search bar.

They don't listen to the Customers. That is their biggest problem. I turn it on and who is on AGAIN??? JT and Court. THey deserve to go under.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

BalletBabe — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 21:45:22 GMT

@They CallMe MRWILKES wrote:
I agree that things need to turn quickly.

Project Athens is a three-year "turn around " plan introduced in June 2022, but things seem to have gotten only worse. Three years seems optimistic.

@They CallMe MRWILKES They will fail. WHY They don't listen to their Customers. They are doing everything and anything to turn Customers off such as myself.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

LisaKeith — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 23:31:29 GMT

Good article, but it was written in December when the stock was above $2. It's at 88 cents tonight. I also found an article from August, 2021 about Quarate's debt load being problematic. It sounds like maybe it was a perfect storms of problems leading to this unfortunate situation.

Re: The Curious Case Of Qurate Retail

They CallMe MRWILKES — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 02:40:45 GMT

Trading below $1/share for a period of time can lead to delisting of the stock.

It is never, ever a good sign and is often a precursor to a Chapter 11 filing.