Genesco Posts 4% Revenue Gain in Q2

Key Points

• GAAP revenue rose 4% in Q2 FY2026, with Journeys delivered a strong 9% gain in comparable sales.

• GAAP gross margin declined by 1.0 percentage point in Q2 FY2026, widening GAAP losses despite higher sales.

• Full-year FY2026 sales guidance was raised, but adjusted FY2026 earnings per share guidance is unchanged as margins remain pressured.

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Genesco (NYSE:GCO), a specialty retailer focused on footwear and accessories, reported Q2 FY2026 results on August 28, 2025. The headline news was a 4% year-over-year increase in GAAP revenue to $546 million, thanks to a notable sales surge at its Journeys banner. Despite outperforming sales expectations and recording its fourth consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales, Genesco’s losses widened over last year as profitability metrics slipped. Non-GAAP earnings per share landed at ($1.14), profit margins fell and the company kept full-year earnings guidance steady—choosing only to raise its sales outlook. Overall, the quarter showed encouraging demand trends for Journeys, but ongoing cost and margin pressures persisted across Genesco’s other businesses.

Source: Analyst estimates provided by FactSet. Management expectations based on management's guidance, as provided in Q1 2026 earnings report.

About Genesco: Business Model and Recent Focus

Genesco is a retailer specializing in branded footwear and accessories, with a portfolio of banners that includes Journeys (youth-focused footwear), Schuh (a U.K.-based footwear retailer), Johnston & Murphy (premium men’s and women’s footwear and accessories), and Genesco Brands (licensed and branded goods, mostly sold through wholesale channels). The company's primary revenue driver is its large presence in teen and young adult casual footwear, especially through Journeys in North America. It operates both retail stores and digital platforms to reach its customers.

The company has recently emphasized three strategic areas to strengthen its business: accelerating digital transformation, optimizing its store footprint, and responding rapidly to changing consumer preferences. These efforts focus on deepening its connection with young consumers, modernizing both e-commerce and in-store experiences, and ensuring inventory aligns with demand trends. Genesco sees success as being able to deliver the right products, at the right place, in the right channel—increasingly through seamless physical-digital integration and efficient operations.

Quarter in Detail: Key Business Drivers and Developments

The quarter was defined by a combination of strong top-line growth at Journeys, ongoing weakness at Schuh and Johnston & Murphy, and visible cost and margin pressures across most operations. Journeys contributed $318.2 million in sales—accounting for 58.3% of company-wide revenue and up 6% from the prior year. Comparable sales at Journeys surged 9%, a sharp reversal from a 1% decline in Q2 FY2025. Operating losses in this business narrowed. Back-to-school trends are also off to a positive start in the current third quarter, with performance building on recent comp growth.

Schuh, Genesco’s U.K. retail footwear division, booked $126.6 million in GAAP sales—up 2% in dollar terms but showing a decline of 4% on a constant-currency basis as U.K. consumer demand softened. Comparable store sales dropped 4%. The unit posted a sharp drop in GAAP operating profit, moving from $7.3 million in Q2 FY2025 to nearly breakeven, as aggressive price promotions cut into margins. Management pointed to the “very promotional U.K. marketplace” as a key factor. Johnston & Murphy, Genesco’s premium/dress footwear and accessories business, recorded $68.8 million in GAAP sales, a 3.2% drop from last year. Though there was a small 1% growth in comparable e-commerce sales, the segment’s GAAP operating loss widened.

The company’s GAAP gross margin fell by 1 percentage point, settling at 45.8% as Increased promotional activity in the U.K. and impacts from tariffs weighed on profitability. Schuh’s promotional pricing played a major role, but there was also pressure at Genesco Brands, the company’s licensed wholesale business. Despite a 5% sales increase in Brands, operating margins shrank to 2%, compared to nearly 9% in Q2 FY2025, with management citing withdrawal from select licenses and tariff-related expenses as causes. The company’s adjusted operating margin moved even lower—to (2.6%).—underscoring higher year-over-year GAAP operating losses.

Inventory levels rose 11% year-over-year to $501 million, reflecting ongoing investment in product to meet expected demand at Journeys and to support new launches. This inventory build could present risk if consumer momentum stalls, particularly given the current margin pressures and aggressive promotional environment. Store count continued to decline, ending at 1,253 (down 61 stores from Q2 FY2025) as part of an ongoing effort to close underperforming locations and focus square footage on higher-volume outlets.

Strategic Execution: Digital, Retail, and Adaptation

The company continued its push into digital and omnichannel retail, with e-commerce sales contributing 22% of total retail sales. However, growth in this channel slowed sharply—a 1% comparable gain compared to 8% in Q2 FY2025—highlighting the need for renewed momentum.

On the retail footprint front, Genesco made measurable progress in closing underperforming stores and launching new formats, with store count dropping 5% from last year. Square footage fell 3% year-over-year. Remodeling programs, especially “Journeys 4.0,” continue in select areas—aiming to drive productivity through enhanced in-store experience, though the earning release did not quantify these results this quarter.

In terms of product strategy, the company’s recent success at Journeys hinges on a pivot to premium and athletic brands, along with sharper curation focused on current fashion trends among teens. Management emphasized “product elevation” and the expansion of product choices as key to winning share in its core demographic. In contrast, Schuh and Johnston & Murphy each struggled to achieve the same adaptation across geographies and product categories, facing either softer local demand or competitive pressure.

Management remained transparent about the ongoing margin pressures from tariffs and promotions. Operating expenses improved slightly as a percentage of sales, but this was not enough to offset gross margin declines. The company signaled no new progress on sustainability initiatives or environmental responsibility in this release, though it maintains membership in supply chain oversight groups like the Leather Working Group as a background commitment.

Looking Forward: Guidance and Key Watchpoints

For the rest of fiscal 2026, Genesco now expects full-year total sales to rise 3% to 4% (up from a previous 1% to 2% outlook) and comparable sales to climb 4% to 5%. The company held its adjusted earnings per share guidance steady in the range of $1.30 to $1.70—reflecting both confidence in top-line sales and awareness of continued cost pressures, especially from tariffs and international promotions. This guidance assumes no further share buybacks and a 29% effective tax rate for the year.

Key themes to watch in coming quarters include progress in inventory management, and margin trends—especially as higher tariffs remain a risk and the U.K. market stays promotional. Other factors in focus: the performance of new product launches at Journeys, ongoing efforts to optimize the retail footprint, and Genesco does not currently pay a dividend.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.

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