Yoga pants giant Lululemon’s new CEO inherits US$1.8b war chest to revive brand after bitter feud

NEW YORK, May 28 — Hard-hit Lululemon Athletica has ended a months-long proxy fight with founder Chip Wilson that weighed on its shares amid weakening brand appeal.

Shares in the sports apparel brand tumbled nearly 60 per cent in the past year and roughly 9 per cent in just the last month as the proxy war intensified, new competitors emerged and the firm grappled with a leadership transition.

But the truce announced yesterday clears the way for incoming CEO Heidi O’Neill to focus on Lululemon’s overlooked strength: a US$1.8 billion (RM7.16 billion) net cash treasure chest that the Canadian company could use to invest in new products, revamp retail outlets and push into under-tapped markets.

“Lululemon generates far more cash than it needs to cover its expansion plans,” said David Swartz, a senior equity analyst at Morningstar. “The issue is, what should the investments be?”

Financial flexibility

Since Wilson listed Lululemon nearly two decades ago, affluent female shoppers — particularly in the core North American market — have associated the brand with its sophisticated leggings and yoga pants. But competition in the athleisure space has intensified. Upstarts including Alo Yoga and Vuori have opened US stores, often near Lululemon locations.

Lululemon’s key challenge is luring back its loyal North American shoppers with revamped products, said Brian Nagel, a senior analyst at Oppenheimer.

This first step may not require a huge capital investment: “It’s almost back to the basics: introducing more basic products that encourage the legacy consumer to spend more with the brand.”

But the war chest may allow for investments to compete in new product categories altogether – footwear, for example.

Moreover, with sales in North America accounting for roughly three-quarters of Lululemon’s revenue, the brand has potential to grow in overseas markets, notably China and Europe.

“You have a brand that is still very portable,” Nagel said. “You need to fix the home market, but investing behind that portability makes sense.”

“The cash flow the company continues to generate gives them more firepower to execute a turnaround,” he added.

A Lululemon spokesperson declined to comment on the retailer’s balance sheet.

Investor jitters

Lululemon’s gross margins, though still robust at 56.6 per cent for fiscal year 2025, have narrowed, and operating margins have shrunk to below 20 per cent of revenue. The slowdown has given investors pause about whether the Canadian player can return to the type of growth it once enjoyed.

A leadership vacuum has added to Wall Street’s concerns about the athleisure giant. O’Neill will not step into her role until September, meaning any tangible changes are unlikely to take effect until next year.

“No one is going to step up and commit to a large investment in the company when the new leader of the company doesn’t start until the back to school season is already done,” said Randal Konik, an equity analyst at Jefferies.

The delay in any fundamental change to Lululemon’s product strategy “gives more time for Alo and Vuori to build more stores, to take more share,” Konik added.

Lululemon’s first-quarter results next week will offer the latest snapshot of brand momentum.

Investors remain in a wait-and-see mode. But O’Neill is poised to be greeted with a supportive financial backdrop, in contrast to other apparel companies that have endured CEO changes while facing financial distress.

When new CEO Bracken Darrell arrived at Vans owner VF Corp in 2023, for instance, he was confronted with more than US$5 billion in net debt. A series of divestitures have reduced the company’s debt load, but the financial struggles have delayed its turnaround.

“I don’t think Lululemon is in that situation,” said Swartz, of Morningstar. “The company is in much better shape.” — Reuters

المصدر: Malay Mail