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Silicom Reports Q3 2024 Results

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KFAR SAVA, Israel, Oct. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Silicom Ltd. (NASDAQ: SILC), a leading provider of high-performance networking and data infrastructure solutions, today reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024.  

Financial Results

Third quarter: Silicom’s revenues for the third quarter of 2024 were $14.8 million compared with $30.1 million for the third quarter of 2023.

On a GAAP basis, the company’s net loss for the quarter totalled $2.6 million, or $0.44 per ordinary share (basic and diluted), compared with net income of $1.2 million, or $0.18 per ordinary share (basic and diluted), for the third quarter of 2023.

On a non-GAAP basis (as described and reconciled below), net loss for the quarter totalled $1.7 million, or $0.28 per ordinary share (basic and diluted), compared with net income of $2.1 million, or $0.30 per ordinary share (basic and diluted), for the third quarter of 2023.

First Nine Months: Silicom’s revenues for the first nine months of 2024 were $43.6 million compared with $105.4 million for the first three quarters of 2023.

On a GAAP basis, net loss for the period totalled $7.6 million, or $1.24 per ordinary share (basic and diluted), compared with net income of $8.6 million, or $1.26 per diluted share ($1.27 per basic share), for the first nine months of 2023.

On a non-GAAP basis (as described and reconciled below), net loss for the period totalled $4.9 million, or $0.80 per ordinary share (basic and diluted), compared with net income of $10.7 million, or $1.57 per diluted share ($1.58 per basic share), for the first nine months of 2023.

During the first nine months of 2024, the Company generated approximately $14 million in cash, and invested more than half of that, approximately $8.6 million, in repurchasing Silicom shares.

Guidance

Management projects that revenues for the fourth quarter of 2024 will range from $14 million to $15 million. Growth in 2025 is expected to be in the low single digits, with strong 20%-30% compound annual growth rate materializing gradually from 2026.

Comments of Management  

Liron Eizenman, Silicom’s President and CEO, commented, “During the third quarter, we continued to progress towards our mid- and long-term goals while dealing responsibly with our short-term challenges. While we continue to be negatively impacted by excess inventories built by specific customers in previous years – whether in reaction to supply chain disruptions only or in combination with slower-than-expected sales of their new products and services – we believe we will see improvement in the situation during 2025 and a resolution by the end of 2025.”

“In the meantime, we continue moving forward according to our strategic plan, with significant milestones affirming the potential of our core Server Adapter and Edge System products to drive significant revenue growth in 2026 and beyond. For example, a service provider customer has recently decided to standardize on our Edge products for all of its deployment scenarios, making Silicom its single hardware provider for its diverse offerings. Deployments will initiate in 2025, and we expect related sales to reach several million dollars per year already in 2026. In parallel, a network equipment OEM has selected one of our high-speed 400G FPGA smart NICs for its core network architecture, with first deliveries scheduled for the first quarter of 2025 and a multi-million-dollar ramp up beginning in 2026. As we continuously increase the number of these ‘slow and steady’ engagements, we will benefit from ongoing revenue growth and a reduced dependency on specific large accounts. Any faster-than-projected ramp up of pipeline deals could accelerate our progress significantly.” 

Mr. Eizenman continued, “Looking forward, we continue to focus on achieving an EPS above $3 as we return our revenues to $150$160 million per year. To this end, we have ‘right-sized’ our expenses, investing as needed to achieve our strategic targets while retaining tight control of our outlays. Based on our very strong balance sheet, we continue moving forward with our share buyback plan: in fact, during the first three quarters of 2024 we have already repurchased more than half a million shares.”

Mr. Eizenman concluded, “All in all, we are operating from an extremely solid financial platform, executing on an impressive pipeline and pursuing ambitious but achievable goals. Our team is dedicated, experienced, and fully focused on creating value – for our customers, for the market as a whole, and especially for our shareholders.”

Conference Call Details
Silicom’s Management will host an interactive conference today, October 31st, at 9am Eastern Time (6am Pacific Time, 3pm Israel Time) to review and discuss the results.

To participate, investors may either listen via a webcast link hosted on Silicom’s website or via the dial-in. The link is under the investor relations’ webcast section of Silicom’s website at https://www.silicom-usa.com/webcasts/ 

For those that wish to dial in via telephone, one of the following teleconferencing numbers may be used:

US: 1 866 860 9642
ISRAEL: 03 918 0609
INTERNATIONAL:  +972 3 918 0609
At: 9:00am Eastern Time, 6:00am Pacific Time, 3:00pm Israel Time

It is advised to connect to the conference call a few minutes before the start.

For those unable to listen to the live call, a replay of the call will be available for three months from the day after the call under the above-mentioned webcast section of Silicom’s website.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This release, including the financial tables below, presents other financial information that may be considered “non-GAAP financial measures” under Regulation G and related reporting requirements promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as they apply to our company. These non-GAAP financial measures exclude compensation expenses in respect of options and RSUs granted to directors, officers and employees, impairment of goodwill, taxes on amortization and impairment of acquired intangible assets, impairment of intangible assets and related write-offs, as well as lease liabilities – financial expenses (income). Non-GAAP financial measures should be evaluated in conjunction with, and are not a substitute for, GAAP financial measures. The tables also present the GAAP financial measures, which are most comparable to the non-GAAP financial measures as well as reconciliation between the non-GAAP financial measures and the most comparable GAAP financial measures. The non-GAAP financial information presented herein should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for operating income (loss), net income (loss) or per share data prepared in accordance with GAAP.

About Silicom

Silicom Ltd. is an industry-leading provider of high-performance networking and data infrastructure solutions. Designed primarily to improve performance and efficiency in Cloud and Data Center environments, Silicom’s solutions increase throughput, decrease latency and boost the performance of servers and networking appliances, the infrastructure backbone that enables advanced Cloud architectures and leading technologies like NFV, SD-WAN and Cyber Security. Our innovative solutions for high-density networking, high-speed fabric switching, offloading and acceleration, which utilize a range of cutting-edge silicon technologies as well as FPGA-based solutions, are ideal for scaling-up and scaling-out cloud infrastructures.

Silicom products are used by major Cloud players, service providers, telcos and OEMs as components of their infrastructure offerings, including both add-on adapters in the Data Center and stand-alone virtualized/universal CPE devices at the edge.

Silicom’s long-term, trusted relationships with more than 200 customers throughout the world, its more than 400 active Design Wins and more than 300 product SKUs have made Silicom a “go-to” connectivity/performance partner of choice for technology leaders around the globe.

For more information, please visit: www.silicom.co.il

Statements in this press Statements in this press release which are not historical data are forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, or other factors not under the company’s control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements of the company to be materially different from the results, performance, or other expectations implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, Silicom’s increasing dependence for substantial revenue growth on a limited number of customers, the speed and extent to which Silicom’s solutions are adopted by the relevant markets, difficulty in commercializing and marketing of Silicom’s products and services, maintaining and protecting brand recognition, protection of intellectual property, competition, disruptions to its manufacturing, sales & marketing, development and customer support activities, the impact of the wars in Gaza and in the Ukraine, attacks on shipping by Huthis in the Red Sea, rising inflation, rising interest rates and volatile exchange rates, as well as any continuing or new effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and  the global economic uncertainty, which may impact customer demand by encouraging them to exercise greater caution and selectivity with their short-term IT investment plans. The factors noted above are not exhaustive.

Further information about the company’s businesses, including information about factors that could materially affect Silicom’s results of operations and financial condition, are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 20-F and other documents filed by the Company and that may be subsequently filed by the company from time to time with the SEC. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such because the context of the statement will include words such as “expect,” “should,” “believe,” “anticipate” or words of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe future plans, objectives or goals are also forward-looking statements. In light of significant risks and uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements, the inclusion of such statements should not be regarded as a representation by the company that it will achieve such forward-looking statements. The company disclaims any duty to update such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. 

Company Contact:

Eran Gilad, CFO

Silicom Ltd.        

Tel: +972-9-764-4555      

E-mail: erang@silicom.co.il

Investor Relations Contact:

Ehud Helft

EK Global Investor Relations

Tel: +1 212 378 8040

E-mail: silicom@ekgir.com 

 

— FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW –

 

Silicom Ltd. Consolidated Balance Sheets

(US$ thousands)

September 30,

December 31,

2024

2023

Assets

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

$

59,489

$

46,972

Marketable securities

9,818

7,957

Accounts receivables: Trade, net

13,264

25,004

Accounts receivables: Other

7,033

3,688

Inventories

43,498

51,507

Total current assets

133,102

135,128

Marketable securities

7,799

16,619

Assets held for employees’ severance benefits                                     

1,481

1,357

Deferred tax assets

2,747

2,359

Property, plant and equipment, net

2,914

3,552

Intangible assets, net

2,316

2,253

Right of Use

7,280

6,466

Total assets

$

157,639

$

167,734

Liabilities and shareholders’ equity

Current liabilities

Trade accounts payable

$

7,490

$

4,139

Other accounts payable and accrued expenses

6,443

6,668

Lease Liabilities

1,633

2,070

Total current liabilities

15,566

12,877

Lease Liabilities

5,034

3,877

Liability for employees’ severance benefits

2,596

2,672

Deferred tax liabilities

92

46

Total liabilities

23,288

19,472

Shareholders’ equity

Ordinary shares and additional paid-in capital

73,000

70,693

Treasury shares

(52,271)

(43,631)

Retained earnings

113,622

121,200

Total shareholders’ equity

134,351

148,262

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

$

157,639

$

167,734

Silicom Ltd. Consolidated Statements of Operations

(US$ thousands, except for share and per share data)

Three-month period

Nine-month period

ended September 30,

ended September 30,

2024

2023

2024

2023

Sales

$

14,756

$

30,057

$

43,623

$

105,368

Cost of sales

10,593

20,821

31,158

72,185

Gross profit

4,163

9,236

12,465

33,183

Research and development expenses

4,958

5,231

14,827

15,622

Selling and marketing expenses

1,366

1,946

4,360

5,343

General and administrative expenses

952

1,099

2,978

3,205

Total operating expenses

7,276

8,276

22,165

24,170

Operating income (loss)

(3,113)

960

(9,700)

9,013

Financial income (expenses), net

515

434

1,601

1,201

Income (loss) before income taxes

(2,598)

1,394

(8,099)

10,214

Income taxes

32

183

(521)

1,660

Net income (loss)

$

(2,630)

$

1,211

$

(7,578)

$

8,554

Basic income (loss) per ordinary share (US$)

$

(0.44)

$

0.18

$

(1.24)

$

1.27

Weighted average number of ordinary shares used to
compute basic income (loss) per share (in thousands)

5,919

6,744

6,090

6,754

Diluted income (loss) per ordinary share (US$)

$

(0.44)

$

0.18

$

(1.24)

$

1.26

Weighted average number of ordinary shares used to
compute diluted income (loss) per share (in thousands)

5,919

6,753

6,090

6,809

 

Silicom Ltd. Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Results

(US$ thousands, except for share and per share data)

Three-month period

Nine-month period

ended September 30,

ended September 30,

2024

2023

2024

2023

GAAP gross profit

$

4,163

$

9,236

$

12,465

$

33,183

(1) Share-based compensation (*)

82

105

193

323

Non-GAAP gross profit

$

4,245

$

9,341

$

12,658

$

33,506

GAAP operating income (loss)

$

(3,113)

$

960

$

(9,700)

$

9,013

Gross profit adjustments

82

105

193

323

(1) Share-based compensation (*)

777

834

2,113

2,091

Non-GAAP operating income (loss)

$

(2,254)

$

1,899

$

(7,394)

$

11,427

GAAP net income (loss)

$

(2,630)

$

1,211

$

(7,578)

$

8,554

Operating income (loss) adjustments

859

939

2,306

2,414

(2) Lease liabilities – Financial expenses (income)

98

(163)

(9)

(467)

(3) Taxes on amortization and impairment of acquired intangible assets

22

68

397

203

Non-GAAP net income (loss)

$

(1,651)

$

2,055

$

(4,884)

$

10,704

GAAP net income (loss)

$

(2,630)

$

1,211

$

(7,578)

$

8,554

Adjustments for Non-GAAP Cost of sales

82

105

193

323

Adjustments for Non-GAAP Research and development expenses

386

412

986

1,010

Adjustments for Non-GAAP Selling and marketing expenses

191

199

537

548

Adjustments for Non-GAAP General and administrative expenses

200

223

590

533

Adjustments for Non-GAAP Financial income (loss), net

98

(163)

(9)

(467)

Adjustments for Non-GAAP Income taxes

22

68

397

203

Non-GAAP net income (loss)

$

(1,651)

$

2,055

$

(4,884)

$

10,704

GAAP basic income (loss) per ordinary share (US$)

$

(0.44)

$

0.18

$

(1.24)

$

1.27

(1) Share-based compensation (*)

0.14

0.13

0.37

0.35

(2) Lease liabilities – Financial expenses (income)

0.02

(0.02)

(0.07)

(3) Taxes on amortization and impairment of acquired intangible assets

0.01

0.07

0.03

Non-GAAP basic income (loss) per ordinary share (US$)

$

(0.28)

$

0.30

$

(0.80)

$

1.58

GAAP diluted income (loss) per ordinary share (US$)

$

(0.44)

$

0.18

$

(1.24)

$

1.26

(1) Share-based compensation (*)

0.14

0.13

0.37

0.35

(2) Lease liabilities – Financial expenses (income)

0.02

(0.02)

(0.07)

(3) Taxes on amortization and impairment of acquired intangible assets

0.01

0.07

0.03

Non-GAAP diluted income (loss) per ordinary share (US$)

$

(0.28)

$

0.30

$

(0.80)

$

1.57

(*) Adjustments related to share-based compensation expenses according to ASC topic 718 (SFAS 123 (R))

 

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Technology

OXMAN Unveils the O° Shoe – a 100% Biodegradable Shoe made without Petrochemicals, producing Zero Microplastics

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The O° collection is made using patent pending OXMAN technology that integrates digital, material, biological, and robotic innovations and uses a single organic material to create 100% biobased consumer products

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NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — OXMAN, a design lab whose mission is to create and deliver nature-centric products and environments to its clients and the natural world, has unveiled O°, a biomaterial, digital, and robotic technology platform that powers the production of biobased textiles and wearables that are 100% biodegradable when disposed of, made entirely with organic material and without petrochemicals or glues, and producing no microplastics. O° (pronounced “O-Zero”) removes the complexity inherent in conventional fabrication processes, enabling the creation of consumer products from one material, under one roof, with minimal human intervention — through a nearly zero-waste process. The first product to be created using O° platform is a collection of shoes made entirely of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a class of organic material known for its versatility and biodegradability. 

 

“PHAs have long been recognized as a promising alternative to petroleum-based plastics,” noted Neri Oxman, CEO and Founder of OXMAN. “We have successfully elevated the potential of PHA through the development of O°, a new technology for the design and fabrication of products that seeks to minimize harm in its conception and nourish the environment in its afterlife. We are thrilled to unveil our first product using this new technology: the O° shoe, which is made using 100% PHA, is 100% biodegradable, and has no petrochemicals or microplastics.”

0% petrochemicals, 0% forever chemicals, 0% microplastics, and 100% biodegradable
PHAs can be produced by bacteria which consume atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane, and/or food waste, reducing carbon in the environment as they grow. They are biologically recyclable, and 100% biodegradable in ambient conditions. As a result, O° textiles and shoes do not leave behind microplastics when they decompose. O° textiles and shoes are made entirely of PHAs, so when they decompose they become one with the environment, returning to the bacteria from which they originated. However, just like traditional biodegradable materials used for apparel such as cotton, wool, and silk, PHA will not biodegrade while being worn, washed, or stored.

A high-efficiency design process
O° shoes embody the versatility of PHAs by incorporating precise designs informed by the kinetics of human motion. Whether they take final form as a walking or running shoe, or ballet slipper, each shoe has a base layer of a knitted upper and outer layers that are printed on the textile to provide specific functionality including reinforcement, cushioning, strength, and pliability. The versatility and automation built into the O° platform enable rapid iterations and  an accelerated development process from design to production.

A near zero-waste production process
A compact robotic system is central to the O° platform: the O° robotic system 3D prints custom PHA blends onto a textile that is 3D knitted on an industrial flatbed machine from a 100% PHA yarn produced through a process of extrusion and melt spinning. By using this knitting and printing technology to create shape and movement, OXMAN has eliminated the cut-and-sew and adhesion processes associated with traditional shoe assembly. The O° technology offers a near zero-waste production process and requires minimal human involvement and intervention, enabling local, low-cost production, minimizing the transport cost and environmental impact of the distant supply chains typical of the shoe industry.

Bio-engineered colorways, free of petrochemicals
Many industrial pigments and dyes are sourced from raw materials derived from petro-chemicals which release environmentally damaging chemicals during their production and usage. These dyes and pigments are dependent on a resource-intensive and complex global supply chain for synthesis, processing, and transport. In contrast, bacteria can produce pigments from simple and abundant natural resources. O° uses bacteria not just as a source of material, but also to encode other functional properties such as pigment production to simplify and centralize the manufacturing process.

OXMAN’s O° platform builds on the promise of PHAs by tuning the fabrication process and offering an alternative design and production process that holistically considers a product’s entire lifecycle, from conception to decomposition. 

OXMAN is now initiating discussions with potential partners, investors, and brand collaborators to bring the production of O° shoes and textiles to scale and to market.  We look forward to hearing from you. You can reach us here.

About OXMAN
OXMAN is a design lab whose mission is to create and deliver nature-centric products and environments to its clients and the natural world. Bringing together computational design, robotics, materials science, green chemistry, biology, and eco-system engineering, OXMAN’s work reinvents the industrial systems that dictate how we design and produce everyday things—from the foods we eat and the clothes we wear to the buildings we inhabit. https://oxman.com

O° CONTACT
https://oxman.com/contact

MEDIA CONTACT
Alex Klimoski
oxman@resnicow.com
+1 (212) 671-5184 

BACKGROUND
The Problem: Endless Assemblies, Forever Chemicals
The footwear design and manufacturing industry faces significant environmental challenges that include hazardous chemical formulations polluting our air, water and soil, greenhouse gas emissions, human exploitation, lack of supply chain traceability, as well as lack of sustainable end-of-life scenarios for materials that cannot be recycled or biodegraded.

Facts & Figures:

24+ billion shoes are manufactured worldwide each year1,2,3300+ million pairs of shoes are discarded annually, 95% of which wind up in landfill2,3Shoes do not break down easily or quickly: shock-absorbent soles can remain in a landfill for 1,000 years4On average, 40 distinct materials are used to create a traditional shoe (e.g., foams, fabrics, rubbers, coatings, adhesives)5″Forever chemicals” are found in almost all mass-produced shoes today (33-4200 parts per billion can be found in a traditional shoe)6Shoes made from petroleum-derived plastics account for 1.4% of global greenhouse emissions7,8

The Solution: One Material, One System
O° is a design platform that starts and ends with biology. It embodies an automated, vertically integrated, bio-digital fabrication system for lifecycle design of multi-functional mono-material products. 

Made entirely of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a bacterially-produced thermo-plastic polymer, the mono-material O° enables the design and digital fabrication of apparel items, such as shoes and textiles, that exhibit a range of physical properties, functions, and end-of-life trajectories. By cultivating our materials from bacteria—as opposed to extracting them from resources like oil or sourcing them from farmed materials such as wool and cellulose—we unlock the potential for a radically new production paradigm—one that bears more resemblance to growing than to the conventional manufacturing processes. This approach envisions centralizing all components of production into a single material, a single site, and a single process. O° aims to remove the complexity involved in the fabrication of objects by staying within one material class for all technical requirements. Streamlining manufacturing allows us to remove externalities that would incur environmental damage; if we only need one material to make a shoe, we have no need to import specialized components from around the globe. Reducing microplastics, reducing atmospheric greenhouse gasses, and promoting biological growth through targeted biodegra-dation follow as further vectors of possible positive environmental impact. 

Unmatched Versatility: Efficiency in Design, in Tune with Nature
The versatility and automation built into the O° platform enable rapid iterations and an accelerated development process from design to production, enabling a wide array of mechanical, thermal, chemical, and manufacturing properties that meet a broad range of processing needs and applications. Such high levels of versatility, achieved through design tunability across design stages and media—production, processability, and programmable decomposition— are at the core of O°’s designs and platform technology.

Key Features:

Origins: PHAs are derived from naturally-occurring “feedstocks” which include carbon dioxide, methane, sugars, and waste streams. There is a broadening scientific consensus that PHAs can be produced in bulk from atmospheric carbon and other sources that provide it with a very small or even negative carbon footprint.Processability: Considered the most versatile bacterially-derived thermo-polymer class, PHAs are easily integrated into most industrial manufacturing processes, including melt extrusion, injection molding, melt blowing, fiber spinning, and casting.Functionality: With over 13 formulations designed to provide a range of mechan-ical properties for specific uses, our PHA yarn is 6x as flexible as polyester and as soft as lyocell. In place of assembling independently produced parts, each with its homogeneous material properties, we harvest biological mono-materials with highly tunable properties to create gradients of functionality.Product features (pigmentation, scents, branding): The bacterial production of PHAs enable genetically and chemically-encoded pigmentation, scents, and labeling. The genetic label of O° is synthesized in DNA. Once embedded, this label can be used to detect and read the genetic code following polymer biodegradation. This can enable a future where precise identification of disposal and biodegradation products is an everyday reality.

1 https://www.worldfootwear.com/news/10-countries-were-responsible-for-88-of-total-footwear-production-/9148.html
2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/04/01/plant-based-sole-sneaker/
3 Bodoga, A., Nistorac, A., Loghin, M.C. and Isopescu, D.N., 2024. Environmental Impact of Footwear Using Life Cycle Assessment—Case Study of Professional Footwear. Sustainability, 16(14), p.6094.
4 Lippa, N.M., Krzeminski, D.E., Piland, S.G., Rawlins, J.W. and Gould, T.E., 2017. Biofidelic mechanical ageing of ethylene vinyl acetate running footwear midsole foam. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, 231(4), pp.287-297.
5 Cheah, L., Ciceri, N.D., Olivetti, E., Matsumura, S., Forterre, D., Roth, R. and Kirchain, R., 2013. Manufacturing-focused emissions reductions in footwear production. Journal of cleaner production, 44, pp.18-29.
https://www.ecocenter.org/our-work/healthy-stuff-lab/reports/wolverine-worldwide-shoes-pfas-results/toxic-pfas-chemicals
https://ourworldindata.org/ghg-emissions-by-sector
8 Bodoga, A., Nistorac, A., Loghin, M.C. and Isopescu, D.N., 2024. Environmental Impact of Footwear Using Life Cycle Assessment—Case Study of Professional Footwear. Sustainability, 16(14), p.6094.

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ChangeUp Survey Reveals What Shoppers Demand of the Grocery Store Experience

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Report finds almost 70% of grocery shoppers feel the in-store experience has stagnated or worsened over the past two years.

DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, experience agency ChangeUp published results from a nationwide survey that highlights how grocery stores can better meet and exceed customer expectations.

ChangeUp’s team of retail experts and strategists surveyed 800 grocery shoppers to explore the growing disconnect between today’s sophisticated shoppers and grocery stores.

The report, How Shoppers are Outpacing Store Evolution, was conducted to provide retailers with critical insight into how to approach store design and the customer experience.

“While grocery stores have traditionally aimed to serve everyone, this broad approach is no longer sufficient in today’s rapidly evolving retail landscape,” says Bill Chidley, Executive Director of Strategy at ChangeUp. “Consumers who seamlessly switch between online and in-store shopping, demand dynamic, value-adding experiences that complement their digital habits and provide compelling reasons to visit physical locations. The possibilities for the grocery industry, and all sectors for that matter, are limitless when it comes to transforming and innovating the in-store experience.”

Key findings from the report highlight that physical stores still hold distinct benefits, with 66% of shoppers feeling more in control of their purchases in-store and 51% believing they get better quality items. In addition, 43% report finding in-store shopping enjoyable, highlighting the irreplaceable tactile and visual aspects of the experience.

The survey also explores the evolution of omnichannel shoppers to what ChangeUp has defined as ‘Power Users’ – modern grocery shoppers who have mastered both online and in-store environments. The report reveals that 47% of grocery shoppers now fall under this Power User category.

Key findings about Power Users include:

77% of Power Users are in the physical store weekly.The grocers that are winning among Power Users are HEB (82%), Trader Joe’s (80%), and Albertsons (80%), as they were rated significantly higher for their in-store experience compared to other top grocery brands.61% of younger shoppers (aged 25-44) are Power Users, relying on the blend of in-store and digital channels.

How Shoppers are Outpacing Store Evolution highlights how grocery stores can better connect with this dominant shopper type and evolve beyond mere functional spaces.

For the full report, visit: changeupinc.com/the-rise-of-the-power-user

Methodology:
ChangeUp conducted the survey of 800 people across the United States. All respondents were primary grocery decision-makers who had shopped at a physical grocery store within the past month. The study was designed to represent a diverse cross-section of shoppers, balanced by age, gender, region, and income.

About ChangeUp:
ChangeUp is an award-winning experience agency designing for the moments where brands and customers meet. We develop brand-led experiences that create change for businesses through customer insights and strategy, design, and architecture. We’ve partnered with clients including Stop & Shop, The Vitamin Shoppe, Best Buy, Bath & Body Works, Panda Express, BP, and KIA. Learn more at www.changeupinc.com.

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Technology

Octane Closes $200 Million Whole Loan Sale with AB CarVal

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New Transaction Fuels Octane’s Continued Momentum and Growth

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Octane® (Octane Lending, Inc.®), the fintech revolutionizing the buying experience for major recreational purchases, announced today that it has sold a portfolio of $200 million of fixed-rate installment powersports loans to funds managed by AB CarVal, an established global alternative investment manager. The portfolio of whole loans was newly originated by Octane’s in-house lender, Roadrunner Financial®, Inc., and will be serviced by Octane’s in-house loan servicer, Roadrunner Account Services, LLC.

This is the second transaction between Octane and AB CarVal. Last month, the companies announced the close of a $500 million forward-flow deal.

Octane will leverage the proceeds from this sale to capitalize on the significant momentum it has been seeing in its business. In September, the company surpassed $5 billion in aggregate originations, and it announced its entrance into the marine market in October.

“We’re excited to strengthen our relationship with AB CarVal, one of the world’s preeminent global asset managers, through this second transaction,” said Steve Fernald, President and CFO of Octane. “By continuing to successfully execute on our capital markets strategy, we are better able to support our customers as well as our OEM and dealer partners through our fast, user-friendly, full-spectrum financing experience.”

“We continue to be excited about Octane’s differentiated underwriting capabilities and believe that specialized consumer whole loan portfolios offer compelling opportunities for those with deep expertise and experience in asset-based finance,” said P.J. Collins, director with AB CarVal.

About Octane:
Octane® is revolutionizing recreational purchases by delivering a seamless, end-to-end digital buying experience. We connect people with their passions by combining cutting-edge technology and innovative risk strategies to make lifestyle purchases–like powersports vehicles, RVs, boats and personal watercraft, and outdoor power equipment–fast, easy, and accessible.

Octane adds value throughout the customer journey: inspiring enthusiasts with the Octane Media™ editorial brands, including Cycle World® and UTV Driver®, instantly prequalifying consumers for financing online, routing customers to dealerships for an easy closing, and supporting customers throughout their loan with superior loan servicing.

Founded in 2014, we have more than 30 OEM and 4,000 dealer partners, and a team of over 500 in remote and hybrid roles. Visit www.octane.co.

Octane® and Roadrunner Financial® are registered service marks of Octane Lending, Inc.

About AB CarVal

AB CarVal is an established global alternative investment manager and part of AllianceBernstein’s Private Alternatives business. Since 1987, AB CarVal’s team has navigated through ever-changing credit market cycles, opportunistically investing $151 billion in 5,800 transactions across 82 countries. Today, AB CarVal has approximately $19 billion* in assets under management in corporate securities, loan portfolios, structured credit and hard assets. Additional information about AB CarVal may be found at www.abcarval.com.

*AUM is comprised of fee-earning AUM and fee-eligible AUM. Fee-earning AUM includes those assets currently qualified to generate management fees. Fee-eligible AUM includes capital that is committed to an AB CarVal Fund but is currently uncalled or recallable. The number represented here excludes assets under AB CarVal’s management that are not generating management fees due to the maturity of the Fund but includes amounts that do not generate management fees solely due to AB CarVal’s decision not to charge management fees.

Media Relations: Shannon O’Hara
Press@octane.co

Investor Relations:
IR@octane.co

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