Skip to main content
BoF Logo

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Foot Locker Slumps as Weak Demand, Heavy Discounts Drive Annual Forecast Cut

Foot Locker
Shares of Foot Locker Inc plunged 25 percent. (Shutterstock)

Shares of Foot Locker Inc plunged 25 percent premarket on Friday after the footwear retailer cut its annual sales and profit forecasts, reeling under a sharp drop in demand and a hit from heavy discounts aimed at clearing excess inventories.

The company also missed Wall Street estimates for its first-quarter results and named former Kohl’s Corp executive Mike Baughn its new finance chief, effective June 12.

US consumers have sharply cut back discretionary spending, worn thin by persistent inflation. This dented sales at a wide range of companies, including big-box retailer Target Corp and home improvement chain Home Depot.

Foot Locker doubled down on promotions and markdowns to drive demand at its stores, which, coupled with a rise in theft-related inventory “shrink,” dealt a 400-basis-point hit to its quarterly gross margin.

ADVERTISEMENT

Organised retail crime has been a growing problem for retailers, with Target earlier this week also saying it could take a more-than-$500 million hit to profitability this year.

Foot Locker’s gloomy report dragged shares of sportswear companies on Friday, with Nike Inc and Under Armour Inc dropping 3 percent each.

The company adjusted its forecast for full-year comparable sales to a fall of 7.5 percent-9 percent. It had expected a drop of 3.5 percent-5.5 percent earlier.

It also expects adjusted earnings of between $2.00 to $2.25 per share, much lower than the $3.35-$3.65 range estimated previously.

The company’s revenue fell more than 11 percent to $1.93 billion in the quarter ended April 29, missing analysts’ average estimate of $1.99 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

Excluding items, Foot Locker earned 70 cents per share, which was also below estimates of 81 cents per share.

By Deborah Sophia; Editor Janane Venkatraman

Learn more:

ADVERTISEMENT

Foot Locker Surges After Ex-Ulta Beauty Chief Mary Dillon Named CEO

Foot Locker Inc. jumped after naming retail industry veteran Mary Dillon to be its next chief executive officer in a move that one analyst called a “huge win” for the company.

In This Article
Topics
Organisations

© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Retail
Analysis and advice from the front lines of the retail transformation.

Op-Ed | How Long Can Adidas Surf the ‘Terrace’ Trend?

As a push to maximise sales of its popular Samba model starts to weigh on its desirability, the German sportswear giant is betting on other retro sneaker styles to tap surging demand for the 1980s ‘Terrace’ look. But fashion cycles come and go, cautions Andrea Felsted.


How Rent the Runway Came Back From the Brink

The rental platform saw its stock soar last week after predicting it would hit a key profitability metric this year. A new marketing push and more robust inventory are the key to unlocking elusive growth, CEO Jenn Hyman tells BoF.


view more

Subscribe to the BoF Daily Digest

The essential daily round-up of fashion news, analysis, and breaking news alerts.

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON
The Business of Beauty Global Awards - Deadline 30 April 2024
© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Accessibility Statement.
The Business of Beauty Global Awards - Deadline 30 April 2024