Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a core sales decline of 2.1%, which was at the high end of the guidance range, reflecting new product innovation and some pricing benefits [27][32] - Normalized gross margin increased by 150 basis points to 32.5%, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement [28][34] - Normalized operating margin was 4.5%, exceeding the guidance range despite increased advertising and promotion investments [34] - The company recorded a normalized diluted earnings per share loss of $0.01, which was $0.05 to $0.08 above the guidance range [35] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Learning and Development segment and the International business, which represent nearly 40% of total sales, posted positive core sales growth for the last five consecutive quarters [28][33] - The first quarter net sales included about 2.5 points of currency headwind and just over half a point from category exits [28][33] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company maintained its net sales guidance for the year but moderated expectations for category growth from flat to down 1% to 2% due to lower consumer confidence levels [17][44] - The foreign exchange outlook improved by one to two percentage points based on current rates [19] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on product innovation and has rebuilt its multiyear innovation funnel, with new products set to launch in the second half of the year [7][8] - The company believes it is well-positioned to benefit from global trade realignment due to proactive sourcing strategies and investments in domestic manufacturing [9][10] - The company plans to reduce dependency on sourced finished goods from China, aiming to lower this to 10% by the end of 2025 [12][13] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in navigating the dynamic operating environment and emphasized the importance of their domestic manufacturing capabilities [26][45] - The company expects to fully offset the impact of certain tariffs through proactive actions and has affirmed its 2025 financial outlook for net sales, normalized operating margin, and normalized earnings per share [41][45] - Management acknowledged the challenges posed by the additional 125% China tariff but indicated that they have plans to mitigate its impact [46] Other Important Information - The company has made significant investments in U.S. manufacturing, totaling nearly $2 billion since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which has enhanced its competitive position [13][14] - The company has a strong pipeline of new products and is actively engaging with retailers to shift their sourcing from China to U.S. or Mexican manufacturing [66] Q&A Session Summary Question: Retail destocking and tariff mitigation efforts - Management noted that they have not seen significant changes in retailer inventory levels in Q1 and are adjusting their core sales guidance out of caution due to macroeconomic forecasts [52][53] - They have taken proactive actions to mitigate the impact of tariffs, particularly in the baby gear category, which is their biggest exposure [54][56] Question: Leveraging U.S. capacity and private label considerations - Management clarified that they are not set up to produce private label products but are encouraging retailers to replace private label items with their branded products, leveraging U.S. manufacturing advantages [63][66] Question: Guidance and market growth expectations - Management explained that while forecasting market growth is challenging, they believe providing guidance is important for clarity and that they have a plan to offset tariff impacts [86][89]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a core sales decline of 2.1%, which was at the high end of the guidance range, reflecting new product innovation and some pricing benefits [26][32] - Normalized gross margin increased by 150 basis points to 32.5%, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement [27][32] - Normalized operating margin was 4.5%, exceeding the guidance range despite increased advertising and promotion investments [32][33] - The company recorded a normalized diluted earnings per share loss of $0.01, which was $0.05 to $0.08 above the guidance range [33] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Learning and Development segment and the International business, which represent nearly 40% of total sales, posted positive core sales growth for five consecutive quarters [26][32] - The first quarter net sales included about 2.5 points of currency headwind and just over half a point from category exits [27][32] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Over 60% of total sales were in the United States, with significant investments made in U.S. manufacturing, totaling nearly $2 billion since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act [12][13] - The company plans to reduce U.S. sourced finished goods from China to 10% by the end of 2025 [11] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on product innovation and has rebuilt its multiyear innovation funnel, with new products set to launch in the second half of the year [7][25] - The strategy includes leveraging U.S. manufacturing capabilities to mitigate tariff impacts and capitalize on competitive advantages [14][25] - The company is actively pursuing sales opportunities in categories where it has domestic production exempt from tariffs [25] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in navigating the dynamic operating environment and emphasized the potential for long-term gains despite short-term challenges [25][44] - The company is maintaining its net sales guidance for the year but moderating expectations for category growth from flat to down 1% to 2% due to lower consumer confidence [16][41] - Management highlighted that the number of categories with domestic production significantly exceeds those that are disadvantaged by tariffs [25][86] Other Important Information - The company has paused virtually all outstanding Chinese purchase orders in response to the new tariffs and is focusing on alternative sourcing solutions [22][23] - A significant portion of the baby gear business is exposed to tariffs, with management actively working on mitigation strategies [55][56] Q&A Session Summary Question: Retail destocking and tariff mitigation efforts - Management noted that core sales growth was at the high end of guidance and that they have not seen significant changes in retailer inventory levels in Q1 [50][52] - They have taken proactive actions to mitigate tariffs, particularly in the baby gear category, which is their most exposed segment [53][54] Question: Leveraging U.S. manufacturing capacity - Management clarified that they are not set up for private label production but are encouraging retailers to replace private label products with their branded products [63][64] Question: Guidance and market growth expectations - Management acknowledged the challenges in forecasting market growth but emphasized that the majority of their business is not significantly impacted by tariffs [84][86] Question: Sensitivity of China tariffs and impacts - The majority of the tariff impact is concentrated in the baby gear category, which is primarily sourced from China [93]