Destination XL Group (DXLG) Q1 2026 Earnings Call May 29, 2025 09:00 AM ET Company Participants Shelly Mokas - Vice President, SEC and Financial ReportingHarvey Kanter - President, CEO & DirectorPeter Stratton - Executive VP, CFO & Treasurer Operator Good day, everyone, and welcome to the Destination XLGU, Inc. First Quarter Fiscal twenty twenty five Financial Results Conference Call. Today's call is being recorded. At this time, I would like to turn the call over to Ms. Shelby Mokus, Vice President of Fina ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net sales for Q1 2025 were $105.5 million, down from $115.5 million in Q1 2024, primarily due to a 9.4% decline in comparable sales, partially offset by new store sales [36] - Gross margin rate decreased to 45.1% from 48.2% in the previous year, driven by increased occupancy costs and markdown rates [37] - EBITDA for the quarter was $100,000, a significant drop from $8.2 million in Q1 2024, reflecting the impact of lower sales [40] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Comparable store sales decreased by 6.6% for physical stores and 16.2% for direct sales, with improvements noted in monthly performance [12] - The sales penetration of private label brands increased from 55% to 57%, indicating a shift towards lower-priced merchandise that generates higher margins [15] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company observed a decline in customer traffic, which accounted for approximately 90% of the comparable sales decline [20] - The impact of tariffs is estimated to add less than $2 million or approximately 40 basis points to costs for the year, with ongoing efforts to mitigate this impact [6] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The strategic focus for 2025 is to stabilize the business and return to growth by enhancing customer engagement and controlling costs [11] - New store openings are planned to pause after reaching a total of 18 stores, allowing the company to focus on stabilizing core operations [21] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that the current economic environment is challenging, with consumers being cautious about discretionary spending [13] - There is optimism for gradual improvement in comparable sales throughout 2025, with expectations of returning to positive growth in the second half of the year [5] Other Important Information - The company has launched several initiatives, including the Heroes Discount program and the FinExchange, aimed at increasing customer engagement and driving sales [24][25] - The introduction of the FITMAP technology aims to enhance the shopping experience for big and tall consumers, with plans to expand its implementation [34] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the expectations for future sales growth? - Management expressed optimism for gradual improvement in comparable sales, expecting a return to positive growth in the second half of the year [5] Question: How is the company addressing the impact of tariffs? - The company is actively working with vendors to mitigate tariff impacts and has not yet implemented price increases [6][8]