Lululemon slammed as brand threatens price hike…
Lululemon lovers are already stretching their wallets to the restrict — and now they’ve had enough.
Fans and critics alike had been clucking their tongues Friday after the athleisure giant warned prospects they’d soon be paying even more for already-pricey exercise gear — following a whopping stock nosedive.
The perpetrator? President Donald Trump’s tariffs — and, apparently, broke Americans tightening their purse strings.
“We experienced lower store traffic in the Americas, partially reflective of economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures, lower consumer confidence, and changes in discretionary spending,” the company stated in a current assertion.
Translation: Even the brand’s cult-following of millennial and Gen Z yoga bunnies aren’t splurging $128 on leggings like they used to.
Even Lululemon’s loyal legging junkies — from millennial mothers to Gen Z health club rats — are tightening their waistbands on those $128 yoga pants. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Execs are scrambling as the one-time Wall Street darling fell short of analyst predictions, seeing just a 1% increase in gross sales year-over-year, falling short of the three% forecast.
“We are planning to take strategic price increases … on a small portion of our assortment, and they will be modest in nature,” chief financial officer Meghan Frank stated on an earnings call, including the hikes will roll out within weeks.
“It will be price increases on a small portion of our assortments, and they will be modest in nature,” she claimed.
The blame for all this? President Trump’s tariffs — and cash-strapped customers slicing back. REUTERS
CEO Calvin McDonald admitted he was “not happy” with U.S. growth figures and blamed the belt-tightening on skittish customers.
“We experienced lower store traffic … lower consumer confidence,” he echoed.
While some could level to floundering new strains just like the Glow Up assortment or Daydrift trousers, the company is pinning the blame on tariffs — notably those slapped on items made in Vietnam and China, where the company sources most of its materials.
In 2024, 40% of Lululemon’s merchandise had been made in Vietnam, and 28% of its materials got here from mainland China — both hit onerous by Trump’s commerce crackdown.
Now, Lulu says it’s working to cut prices and negotiate with distributors to offset the tariff hit. But prospects aren’t precisely downward dogging in help.
On X, disgruntled customers lashed out at the brand’s pricing and manufacturing selections.
The athleisure company says it’s trimming prices and haggling with distributors to ease the tariff ache — but customers aren’t precisely hanging a warrior pose in approval. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
“You better get it together. Lulu. Using tariffs as an excuse in your rest of the year outlook is not a smart move. Amazon/Walmart tried this it didn’t go well. You’re Down 65$ today. Our family was a big lulu fan not so much anymore,” one raged.
“For what they charge for their products, you’d think it was made in America,” snapped one other.
“It can’t be that yoga pants shouldn’t cost $125 a pair. No. That’s not it,” somebody joked.
Others had been more blunt: “Their stuff is ridiculously overpriced… total ripoff.”
“Lululemon’s collapse isn’t about tariffs — it’s about betting on foreign manufacturing while ignoring American resilience,” one critic seethed.
They continued, “Relocating production… was always a gamble, and now they’re paying for it.”
Some merely slammed the complete brand: “Lululemon clothing is so overpriced — always has been. Only the Gen Zers think its the name on them that make them special.”
In 2024, Lulu pumped out 40% of its gear in Vietnam and received 28% of its materials from China — two prime targets in Trump’s tariff smackdown. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Another scorched: “Stupid rich women paying exorbitant prices for stretch pants. SMH.”
Despite the backlash, Lululemon doesn’t seem to be sweating just yet — but with prices climbing and prospects stretching their budgets, the longer term won’t be fairly so versatile.
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