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And now, The Neopian Times is privileged to present Neopia’s best-known financial forecasters. In addition to bringing you all the news from the floor of the exchange, our hosts will be joined by Donna Kougran, President of Faerie Clothing Ltd., who’s here to discuss her company’s recent overhaul, and the effect it’s had on their stock prices. And now, here are Neil and Maria…
KAUVUTO: Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of The Neo-Market Report. I’m your host Neil Kauvuto, Financial Editor of The Neopian Times, and as always I’m proud to introduce my co-host, the one and only Maria Blumaroono, who’s at the News Desk with the latest word from the Big Board. Maria, how are things going today?
BLUMAROONO: Well Neil, it looks like investors have decided to ho-ho-hold off on buying stocks this holiday season, as the Neodaq continued its plunge, dropping all the way to 837. Receiving the biggest lump of coal in their stocking this year was Böda Furnishings, whose shares fell quicker than the temperature in Terror Mountain. When asked to comment on the company’s latest woes, Böda’s Director of Operations, Sven the Eyrie, was quoted as saying, “The harsh winter conditions have really cut into our productivity. The process of receiving raw materials from our suppliers, then moving the finished product on to our distributors, has been greatly slowed by the terrible weather we’ve been experiencing around our workshops. However, I’m sure that once it starts to get warmer, things will be running as smoothly as ever.”
KAUVUTO: However, one stock that’s gotten a recent unexpected surprise has been Kacheek and Sons Landscaping. Thanks to a surge in demand for their newest specialty, ice sculptures, KSON’s share value has climbed seven points this week, making Kacheek and Sons one of the few companies that’s continued posting a profit during these cold, cruel winter months. When asked about their recent foray into the world of ice sculpture, Bentolo the Kacheek said, “I owe it all to my son, Fredriccio. One day, after some particularly bad weather, he was sitting at home, bored out of his mind. The next thing I know, he’s in the backyard making a tremendous sculpture of the Space Faerie. The rest, as they say, is history!”
BLUMAROONO: Another company that’s come into some good luck recently is that of our next guest. After the failure of her winter line, Faerie Clothing Ltd.’s Donna Kougran decided that some drastic changes were in order. After overhauling her staff and completely changing the company’s approach towards fashion, Faerie Clothing Ltd. is on top once again, as the buzz surrounding their spring line continues to grow. Once again, we’re glad to welcome back Donna Kougran. Miss Kougran, thanks for coming by…
DONNA: It’s a pleasure, Maria. As always...
BLUMAROONO: Now, if you would, please take us through the events of the past few months, and recreate for us how you managed to turn this floundering company around…
DONNA: Well, despite winning critical raves from the fashion press, the fact is that our winter line was a little too avant garde for the average Neopian. As a result, we got stuck with a warehouse full of clothes which, even though we were convinced of their greatness, the bottom line made it all too clear: we weren’t giving the people what they wanted.
So that’s when I took a long hard look at the way we were doing things. Like, for instance, our staff… they were products of the fashion world, “insiders” who were totally out of touch with what was going on in the real world. So, as much as I hated to do it, I knew that for the good of the company, I’d have to start over. You know, bring in some fresh faces, people who were able to relate to everyday Neopians.
Additionally, there was a total change in philosophy at Faerie Clothing Ltd. Before our recent overhaul, we always used to say that wanted to turn each outfit into a work of art. Now, we realise that the people out there don’t wan’t art; they want a warm coat! So, we’ve put all of our effort into reflecting that…
KAUVUTO: So far, it looks like the investors have approved of this new approach…
DONNA: I guess that’s a good thing, but the true test will be when the spring line comes out in a few months. If our work isn’t any good, then I’m sure they won’t be happy for long.
BLUMAROONO: Well, that’s all the time that we have for this week. For Donna Kougran and Neil Kauvuto, this is Maria Blumaroono saying thank you and so long….
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