Dive Brief:
- Five Below got rid of its “Five Beyond” section in stores and integrated the products in line with their applicable merchandise categories, CEO Winnie Park told analysts on an earnings call Wednesday. The Five Beyond store-within-a-store concept highlighted higher-priced products and was rolled out following pilot tests in 2021.
- The retailer’s first quarter net sales increased by 32.5% to nearly $1.3 billion, per a Wednesday release. Comparable sales increased by 22.7%, and Five Below raised its previously provided full-year sales expectations to now be in a range from $5.4 billion to $5.48 billion.
- Five Below’s growth in the quarter was broad-based across departments, with games and toys driven in particular by “the overall squishy trend,” Park told analysts.
Dive Insight:
Viral trends, such as Squishy Dumpling toys, and operational changes during the course of Park’s tenure are resonating with shoppers.
“Across our fleet, we host fun treasure hunt shopping experiences for the whole family,” Park said on the call. “Our labor model is designed to ensure in-stock positions, while we simplified pricing structure and improved visual presentations have made our stores easier to shop.”
The chief executive added that Five Below is now testing new layouts and designs in stores to further improve the shopping experience, with value remaining a “critical component” to the company’s offerings.
Five Below’s Q1 comp growth was mainly driven by a 19% increase in transactions. Average ticket increased more modestly by 4% during the period.
That disproportionate growth stemming from transactions is likely due to outsized impact of viral trends, Jefferies analysts said in an emailed note Thursday.
“While 15 of 18 departments comped positively, the outsized Q1 result was disproportionately fueled by the squishy trend, which drove traffic but produced smaller baskets and explains the wide gap between transaction growth and ticket,” the Jefferies analysts said, adding that the business is still great.
The monstrous comp growth has set up a "good news is bad news" reaction in the stock market, according to William Blair analysts in a Thursday note. Five Below's shares were down, despite the positive performance, because investors are concerned about the set up for tougher year-over-year comps in 2027 and the trend-reliance in Q1 sales.
"In our view, Five Below is the latest consumer name falling victim to the rotation trade this earnings cycle, where its seems like a sell-off is inevitable no matter what the company reports," William Blair analysts noted.
Tax refunds also contributed positively to Q1 results, executives said on the call. The company is monitoring the waning impact of those refunds along with other macro pressures on the consumer.
“We're being cautious,” CFO Daniel Sullivan told analysts. “We're looking at the world that our customers are living in with rising fuel costs with very sticky inflation with a somewhat soft labor market. And we think a piece of that pain that they are feeling wasn't felt in the first quarter purely because of tax proceeds year-over-year that were significantly up.”
That caution has impacted the company’s comp growth projections looking forward, GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunder said in emailed comments Thursday.
“Looking ahead, the outlook remains very positive but is tempered by a dose of caution,” Saunders noted. “Comparable growth is projected to be around 7% to 9% for the second quarter. This is market beating, but obviously a step down from current levels. While some investors are disappointed, we believe it to be a standout performance – especially as the chain is lapping tougher prior year numbers and the consumer environment may soften a little.”
