Lululemon Shares Tumble on Weak US Demand, Tariff Woes

FILE PHOTO: A logo is displayed inside a Lululemon outlet retail store at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, Britain, August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A logo is displayed inside a Lululemon outlet retail store at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, Britain, August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo
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Lululemon Shares Tumble on Weak US Demand, Tariff Woes

FILE PHOTO: A logo is displayed inside a Lululemon outlet retail store at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, Britain, August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A logo is displayed inside a Lululemon outlet retail store at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, Britain, August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo

Shares of Lululemon Athletica plunged more than 17% in premarket trading on Friday after the athletic wear maker slashed annual profit and sales forecasts, hurt by tepid US demand and tariff costs.

The firm cut its annual profit forecast for the second straight quarter on Thursday as it grapples with pressure from losing market share to rivals, a volatile macroeconomic backdrop and tariffs that are hurting consumer discretionary spending.

Its shares have tumbled over 40% this year, with efforts to improve sales through weekly product launches having little effect as American shoppers head into the holiday season.

"We have let our product life cycles run too long within many of our core categories," CEO Calvin McDonald said in a post-earnings call on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Comparable sales for its Americas segment, its largest, declined 1% while international sales rose 15%.

"The US drives the earnings and the US is fading fast here," Jefferies analyst Randal Konik said in a note.

"Rising competition won't stop either, which means LULU's earnings per-share is permanently impaired," Konik added.

The company expects annual profit per share between $12.77 and $12.97, down from $14.58 to $14.78 earlier.

It expects an impact of about $240 million on its 2025 gross profit from higher tariffs and the removal of the de minimis exemption.

The yogawear maker, which relies heavily on US import tariff hotspots like Vietnam and mainland China for its raw materials and manufacturing, has been on the receiving end of heavy duties from President Donald Trump's trade policies.

Lululemon's forward price-to-earnings multiple, a common benchmark for valuing stocks, is 13.82, well below Nike's 39.21, according to data compiled by LSEG.



China's HongShan Reportedly Eyes $2.9 Billion Golden Goose Deal by Christmas

People walk in a commercial street at the historical Shichahai district in Beijing, China, December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
People walk in a commercial street at the historical Shichahai district in Beijing, China, December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
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China's HongShan Reportedly Eyes $2.9 Billion Golden Goose Deal by Christmas

People walk in a commercial street at the historical Shichahai district in Beijing, China, December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
People walk in a commercial street at the historical Shichahai district in Beijing, China, December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

China's HongShan Capital Group (HSG) has sent a 2.5 billion euro ($2.91 billion) offer to private equity Permira to buy Italian luxury sneaker maker Golden Goose, with the aim of signing the deal by Christmas, daily la Repubblica reported on Friday.

Details still need to be defined but the offer gives the luxury group an enterprise value of 10 times the core profit expected by the end of the year, debt included, the newspaper said.

Golden Goose's revenues totaled 655 million euros in 2024, with an adjusted core profit of 227 million euros.

HSG has asked veteran fashion industry executive Marco Bizzarri to become Golden Goose's future chairman, la Repubblica said, adding that the Chinese private equity aims to expand Golden Goose's directly-managed stores, particularly in Asia, and plans to list the group in the medium-term.

Last year the Venice-based company, which sells sneakers for more than 500 euros a pair, shelved plans for an initial public offering on the Milan Bourse, citing market volatility caused by political uncertainty in Europe.


Debenhams' New Pay Plan Without Vote 'Disgraceful', Says Top Investor Frasers

Debenhams logo is seen on smartphone in front of a displayed Boohoo logo in this illustration taken January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
Debenhams logo is seen on smartphone in front of a displayed Boohoo logo in this illustration taken January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
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Debenhams' New Pay Plan Without Vote 'Disgraceful', Says Top Investor Frasers

Debenhams logo is seen on smartphone in front of a displayed Boohoo logo in this illustration taken January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
Debenhams logo is seen on smartphone in front of a displayed Boohoo logo in this illustration taken January 25, 2021. (Reuters)

A move by struggling British online fashion retailer Debenhams to push ahead with a new executive pay scheme without seeking approval from investors was "utterly disgraceful", the finance chief of rival Frasers said on Thursday.

Frasers is Debenhams' biggest investor with a 29.7% stake.

Last week, Debenhams said that one of the reasons it was not asking for a shareholder vote on the new pay scheme worth up to 222 million pounds ($296 million) was because a "major competitor" investor, which it did not name, had tried to block previous resolutions.

Debenhams has been locked in a long-running tussle with Frasers, majority-owned by British retail tycoon Mike Ashley, which unsuccessfully attempted to block its rebrand and oust its co-founder.

Frasers' chief financial officer Chris Wootton said Debenhams' latest move, which could see CEO Dan Finley earn up to 148 million pounds if Debenhams' share price hits 3 pounds over the next five years, was "typical corporate governance from them, utterly disgraceful".

However, he told Reuters that if Debenhams achieved a share price of 3 pounds "shareholders will be happy."

Debenhams shares were trading at 22.25 pence on Thursday, down 3.3%.


Zara Owner Inditex Reports Strong Start to Winter Sales

FILE PHOTO: A person walks by a Zara store in Plaza de Espana in Madrid, Spain, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Ana Beltran/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A person walks by a Zara store in Plaza de Espana in Madrid, Spain, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Ana Beltran/File Photo
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Zara Owner Inditex Reports Strong Start to Winter Sales

FILE PHOTO: A person walks by a Zara store in Plaza de Espana in Madrid, Spain, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Ana Beltran/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A person walks by a Zara store in Plaza de Espana in Madrid, Spain, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Ana Beltran/File Photo

Zara owner Inditex said sales grew 10.6% in constant currency over the start of its fourth quarter, beating analysts' expectations for the November period that includes the crucial Black Friday sales.

The $178 billion fast fashion giant also reported on Wednesday sales of 9.8 billion euros ($11.41 billion) for its third quarter ending October 31, higher than the 9.69 billion euros expected by analysts according to an LSEG estimate.

The results from Inditex, seen as a bellwether for the global fast fashion sector, provide a first glimpse into how successful the key Black Friday sales weekend was for retailers.

The strong sales growth in the period from November 1 to December 1 compared to a year ago marked an acceleration from the nine-month currency-adjusted growth rate of 6.2%, an encouraging sign for the fourth quarter, its biggest in terms of revenues.