Business
Lululemon shares plunge as earnings guidance falls well short of estimates
Sign at the entrance to the Lululemon store in Midtown Manhattan.
Erik Mcgregor | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Lululemon shares plunged in extended trading Thursday after the company gave a much worse than expected full-year outlook.
The company topped second-quarter earnings estimates but slightly missed revenue expectations. But it said it expected tariffs to hit its full-year profits by $240 million.
Lululemon said it expects full fiscal year earnings of $12.77 to $12.97 per share, well below Wall Street estimates of $14.45 per share. It also anticipates full-year revenue of $10.85 billion to $11 billion, compared with Wall Street expectations of $11.18 billion.
“We are facing yet another shift today within the industry related to tariffs and the cost of doing business,” CEO Calvin McDonald said on a call with analysts. “The increased rates and removal of the de minimis provisions have played a large part in our guidance reduction for the year.”
Here’s how the company did for its second quarter compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $3.10 vs. $2.88 expected
- Revenue: $2.53 billion vs. $2.54 billion expected
Shares of the company sank more than 12% after the bell Thursday. The stock is down more than 45% this year.
Programming note: Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald will be interviewed exclusively on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Friday.
The company reported second-quarter net income of $370.9 million, or $3.10 per share, compared to $392.92 million, or $3.15 per share, in the year-ago period. Gross margin decreased 1.1 percentage points to 58.5%, and operating margin decreased 210 basis points to 20.7%.
CFO Meghan Frank said on the call that the removal of the de minimis exemption, which excluded some smaller shipments from tariffs, will significantly affect the company, representing roughly 1.7 percentage points of the 2.2 percentage point tariff-related decline in profit expected for the year.
Same-store sales in the Americas were down 4%. Overall comparable sales increased just 1% compared to Wall Street estimates of 2.2%. Lululemon said it added 14 net new stores during the second quarter, bringing its total to 784 stores.
“My view is that it’s now time to reset many of our practices related to how we develop and create the range of products that will fuel the next phase of our growth,” McDonald said on Thursday. “We have seen that when we get our product right, everything else can follow.”
Lululemon projects third-quarter revenues will be between $2.47 billion and $2.50 billion compared to Wall Street estimates of $2.57 billion. The company said it expects earnings per share in the next quarter to be between $2.18 and $2.23 per share, compared to an estimate of $2.93 per share.
McDonald said on the Thursday call that he believes the company has let its product lifecycles “run too long,” particularly in its lounge and social categories.
“We have become too predictable within our casual offerings and missed opportunities to create new trends,” he said, identifying those issues as the “root causes” of the company’s product challenges in the U.S.
“Our lounge and social product offerings have become stale and have not been resonating with guests,” McDonald added.
To regain its U.S. momentum, McDonald said the company plans to increase its new styles from 23% of its overall assortment to 35% next spring and improve its fast-track design capabilities. He said Lululemon will not make any short-term decisions that “could hurt or damage” the brand in the long-term.
“We are not satisfied with the results for the quarter, and we know our brand can and will perform better than these results,” McDonald said.
Business
Global stock markets are too high and set to fall, says Bank of England deputy
It is unusual for a senior figure at the Bank to be so forthright on market movements.
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Business
Consumer confidence falls as rapid price rises give households the ‘jitters’
Consumer confidence has fallen for the third consecutive month amid household “jitters” over rapid price rises, figures show.
GfK’s long-running consumer confidence index fell four points to minus 25 in April, following falls of two points and three points in March and February respectively.
The deepening concern was driven by perceptions of the UK economy, with a six-point slide in confidence for the next 12 months to minus 43, its lowest level since February 2023.
Confidence in personal finances over the coming year fell five points to minus four – one point lower than this time last year.
The major purchase index – an indicator of confidence in buying big ticket items – held steady, albeit at minus 18 but one point better than last April.
The only measure to improve was the savings index – often an indication that households are concerned about their finances and looking to build contingency funds – which is up five points to 32.
Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK, said: “Consumers really do have the jitters now.
“It is a year since we last saw a monthly drop of this size, and we have to go back to October 2023 to find the last time consumer confidence was lower.
“Everyone is grappling with rapid price rises, especially at the fuel pumps, which are taking a dent out of household budgets, and people know further price hikes are coming.
“Consumer confidence is deteriorating sharply, with fuel prices and threats of more energy price increases acting as constant reminders of inflation.
“While the Gulf crisis is intensifying pressures, much of the current strain reflects earlier domestic cost increases.
“How long can all this disruption and pain continue?”
Business
Nike cuts 1,400 roles in second round of layoffs this year
People walk past a Nike store in New York City, on April 2, 2025.
Kylie Cooper | Reuters
Nike announced a new round of layoffs Thursday affecting approximately 1,400 employees across the organization, mostly concentrated in its technology department.
In a note from COO Venkatesh Alagirisamy, the company said the layoffs were part of Nike’s broader “Win Now” turnaround strategy aiming to reshape its technology team, modernize its Air manufacturing, move some of its Converse Footwear operations and integrate its materials supply chain work into its footwear and apparel supply chain teams.
“Collectively, these changes will result in a reduction of approximately 1,400 roles in global operations, with the majority in technology,” Alagirisamy wrote. “These reductions are very hard for the teammates directly affected and for the teams around them, too.”
A Nike spokesperson said the layoffs are about better positioning the organization for the current pace of sports and accelerating its growth. The layoffs affect employees across North America, Asia and Europe and represent less than 2% of the company’s total global head count.
“This is not a new direction,” Alagirisamy wrote. “It is the next phase of the work already underway.”
Affected employees will be notified beginning Thursday, Nike added.
CEO Elliott Hill has been working to turn Nike around after years of slumping sales. While Hill has made some initial progress, it’s come with some bumps in the road.
Nike announced 775 job cuts in January, primarily at its U.S.-based distribution centers, due to the company’s work in accelerating its use of automation. At the time, the company said the cuts are part of Nike’s goal to return to “long-term, profitable growth.”
Those layoffs came on top of a round of cuts last summer that affected less than 1% of Nike’s corporate staff as part of the company’s efforts to realign the business.
In its third fiscal quarter earnings report last month, the retailer warned that sales will continue to fall for the rest of the year, primarily led by an anticipated 20% decline in China during the current quarter.
— CNBC’s Jessica Golden contributed to this report.
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