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Grocery Outlet Holding Corp.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 13 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 7 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net sales rose on new stores: Net sales rose 3.6% to $1.17 billion. New store sales added to sales while comparable store sales fell 1.0%. Source
  • Impairment drove operating loss: Operating loss was $178.0 million, including a $158.0 million non-cash goodwill impairment and $18.2 million of restructuring charges. Source
  • Net loss per share widened: Net loss was $180.3 million, or $(1.83) per diluted share, against a net loss of $23.3 million, or $(0.24) per diluted share, a year earlier. Source
  • Transactions up, ticket size down: Transactions rose 2.1% and average transaction size fell 3.1%, giving the 1.0% comparable store sales decline. Source
  • 549 stores after net closures: The company closed 28 stores, 27 of them under the Optimization Plan, opened 7 new stores, and ended the quarter with 549 stores in 16 states. Source
  • Gross margin down on markdowns: Gross margin was 29.6%, down 80 basis points. Markdowns and write-offs from closures took 50 basis points, and promotions also weighed, partly offset by inventory management gains. Source
  • Operating cash flow declined: Operating cash flow was $52.6 million against $58.9 million a year earlier. The company cited working capital changes, including inventory and accrued liabilities, partly offset by a smaller net loss after non-cash charges. Source

“We delivered first quarter results consistent with our guidance, as our work to strengthen the business drove sequential improvements in comp-store sales throughout the quarter,”

Jason Potter, President and CEO of Grocery Outlet

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
New store openings, net Sourcefiscal 202630-33Kept
Net sales Sourcefiscal 2026$4.60 - $4.72 billionKept
Comparable store sales Sourcefiscal 2026-2.0% to 0.0%Kept
Gross margin Sourcefiscal 202629.7%-30.0%Kept
Adjusted EBITDA Sourcefiscal 2026$220 million to $235 millionKept
Diluted adjusted earnings per share Sourcefiscal 2026$0.45 to $0.55Kept
Capital expenditures, net of tenant improvement allowances Sourcefiscal 2026$170 millionKept
Restructuring charges under the Optimization Plan Sourcefiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027$20 million to $27 millionRaised from $14 million to $25 million, fiscal 2026 only

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Fiscal 2026 guidance for net sales, comparable store sales, gross margin, adjusted EBITDA, diluted adjusted EPS, net store openings and capital expenditures was reaffirmed without change. Source
  • Guidance raised: Net restructuring charge estimate rose to $20-27 million across fiscal 2026 and 2027 from $14-25 million in fiscal 2026. Completion moved to the first quarter of fiscal 2027. Source

Results and profit

  • Net sales rose on new stores: Net sales rose 3.6% to $1.17 billion. New store sales added to sales while comparable store sales fell 1.0%. Source
  • Impairment drove operating loss: Operating loss was $178.0 million, including a $158.0 million non-cash goodwill impairment and $18.2 million of restructuring charges. Source
  • Net loss per share widened: Net loss was $180.3 million, or $(1.83) per diluted share, against a net loss of $23.3 million, or $(0.24) per diluted share, a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin declined: Adjusted EBITDA was $43.1 million, or 3.7% of net sales, against $51.9 million, or 4.6%, a year earlier. Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.05 against $0.13. Source

Comparable sales and traffic

  • Transactions up, ticket size down: Transactions rose 2.1% and average transaction size fell 3.1%, giving the 1.0% comparable store sales decline. Source

“At the same time, we continued to advance our key strategic priorities to position Grocery Outlet to generate sustainable, profitable growth.”

Jason Potter, President and CEO of Grocery Outlet

Store footprint and openings

  • 549 stores after net closures: The company closed 28 stores, 27 of them under the Optimization Plan, opened 7 new stores, and ended the quarter with 549 stores in 16 states. Source
  • Remaining closures finished in Q2: The remaining nine stores in the closure plan were closed in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, according to the release. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Gross margin down on markdowns: Gross margin was 29.6%, down 80 basis points. Markdowns and write-offs from closures took 50 basis points, and promotions also weighed, partly offset by inventory management gains. Source
  • SG&A rose on professional fees: SG&A rose 4.8% to $347.0 million, or 29.8% of net sales. Higher professional fees, commissions and other costs drove the increase, partly offset by lower incentive compensation. Source

Cash flow and capital spending

  • Operating cash flow declined: Operating cash flow was $52.6 million against $58.9 million a year earlier. The company cited working capital changes, including inventory and accrued liabilities, partly offset by a smaller net loss after non-cash charges. Source
  • Capex lower on fewer openings: Capital expenditures before tenant improvement allowances were $56.8 million, down $8.5 million. Net of allowances, capital expenditures were $53.9 million against $57.3 million. Source

Optimization Plan and non-cash charges

  • 36-store closure plan adopted: The Board adopted an Optimization Plan to close 36 financially underperforming stores, including related lease exits and independent operator agreement terminations. Source
  • Restructuring split cash and non-cash: Restructuring charges of $18.2 million comprised $2.7 million in cash charges and $15.5 million in non-cash charges tied to the Optimization Plan. Source
  • Operator agreements terminated, reserves raised: Operator agreement terminations were completed or started for closure stores and some other locations. Reserves on independent operator notes and receivables were increased, and uncollectible balances written off. Source
  • Goodwill charge does not affect operations: The $158.0 million goodwill impairment is non-cash and, according to management, does not affect future operations. Source

Strategy and store growth

  • Opportunistic mix expanded: Management said it made meaningful progress increasing the opportunistic mix to offer more extreme value products. Source
  • New store growth aligned to plan: The Optimization Plan aims to optimize the existing store footprint and align with a disciplined new store growth strategy. Source

Coming up, as management said on 13 May 2026

  • Optimization actions complete by Q1 fiscal 2027: Management expects the Optimization Plan actions to be substantially completed by the first quarter of fiscal 2027. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Comparable store sales Source-1.0%
Traffic (number of transactions) Source+2.1%
Average ticket (average transaction size) Source-3.1%
Store openings Source7
Store closings Source28 (27 under the Optimization Plan)
Store count Source549 stores in 16 states
Gross margin Source29.6%
Inventory (merchandise inventories) Source$387,109 thousand

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Goodwill impairment was recorded following a decline in market capitalization. Source
  • Financial: Independent operator note and receivable reserves were increased and some balances written off for closure locations. Source
  • Operational: Markdowns and write-offs from store closures and product promotions weighed on gross margin. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said first quarter results were consistent with the company's guidance. Source
  • Met: The nine remaining stores in the closure plan were completed in the second quarter of fiscal 2026. Source
  • Not stated: Management reaffirmed the fiscal 2026 guidance figures given in the prior quarter. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.