A major private equity player just offloaded a problematic loan tied to the company behind those round vacuum cleaners we all know. The debt was originally extended less than three years back, but now the borrower—yep, the Roomba folks—is scrambling to avoid going under.

This move signals how quickly things can turn south in consumer robotics. What looked like a solid lending opportunity in the post-pandemic boom has morphed into distressed debt that needed an exit. The loan sale comes as the household name faces serious liquidity pressures, with bankruptcy chatter growing louder in financial circles.

For distressed debt watchers, this represents another data point in the broader corporate stress cycle hitting overleveraged consumer brands.